Sunday, October 05, 2008

Residents 'Help' Army Provide Security

Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Jewish residents of towns in Shomron (Samaria) and Yehuda (Judea) note a worrisome increase in terrorist incidents of late, and many of them say the government's approach must be changed. Esther Karish of Kedumim, a member of the Shomron Residents Council, says, "The declarations by Prime Minister Olmert regarding Jews perpetrating pogroms on non-Jews, and his willingness to give away parts of the Land of Israel, cause the Arabs here to raise their heads and endanger the lives of the Jewish residents."

She made the remarks on Thursday, shortly after the army completed what she called a "strong-armed" evacuation and destruction of the Shvut Ami outpost. While the destruction was taking place, just south of Kedumim, Arabs in the area set fire to the brush near the would-be neighborhood, endangering both the soldiers and the residents.

False Media Reports
The fire was falsely reported in the general Israeli media as having been set by Jews in an Arab olive grove.


On Wednesday night, prior to the demolition, Arabs from a nearby village stoned no fewer than six Jewish cars returning after the Rosh HaShanah holiday.
"If we don't respond, then the army will always say that they are doing what they can and cannot do more."

"There have been more stonings and more firebombs of late," Karish said, "not to mention the recent arsons and stabbings in Yitzhar... It's true that the army blocked the Arab village's access road to the main road here, but the Arabs have found a way to detour it. If we don't respond, then the army will always say that they are doing what they can and cannot do more. Therefore, if the residents stand up for their rights to safety and security, things will look different."

Meanwhile, the Commander of the Central Region in the IDF, Gen. Gad Shamni, says the situation is largely the fault of the Jewish leadership in Judea and Samaria. "The rabbinic and public leadership in Judea and Samaria is responsible for the rise in settler violence," Shamni was quoted as saying.

Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, rabbi of the veteran Shomron town Elon Moreh, is not having any of it: "I've been hearing these claims for 27 years. What violence is he talking about? The Jewish residents have been the victims of terrorist shooting, the stabbing of a boy and arson in Yitzhar, and daily rock-throwings. If I'm not mistaken, the only damage done [when the Yitzhar residents responded to the stabbing/arson attack]was that some windows were broken; not one Arab was hurt. But on our side, Jews are hurt."

"In the past," Rabbi Levanon said, "there were open channels of communication between the Central Commander and the rabbinic and public leadership in Yesha - but I know of no such thing with Shamni. He doesn't know us, so how can he come out with these criticims? His remarks are irresponsible. First let him come and sit with us, and he'll see what beautiful things are being done to connect between the IDF and the residents."

"On the other hand, we expect to see the army respond more appropriately to the hostile and violent activity on the part of the Arabs in these areas, and not to be influenced and weakened by the political echelons."

On Saturday night, in Gush Etzion, Arabs threw four Molotov cocktails at an Israeli car. No one was hurt and there was no damage.

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