Bayit Yehudi party leader Education Minister Naftali Bennett commented on the near fatal lynch of two IDF soldiers who took a wrong turn and found themselves in Kalandia. Speaking with the dati leumi Srugim website, Bennett acknowledged the severity of that incident, which B’chasdei Hashem did not end with the loss of life or serious injury to the intended victims. There were a number of border policemen injured however, one in moderate condition.

Bennett explains this latest incident shows once again, any Jew who enters an Arab village is in life-threatening danger. He explains that PA (Palestinian Authority) incitement continues and there is an Israeli murdered weekly, mentioning Mrs. Dafna Meir, Shlumit Kreigman of Beit Choron and Sgt. Yinai Weissman at Rami Levi, as well as Major Eliav Gellman last week at Gush Etzion Junction. Bennett laments these events continue and it is as if there is no response.

Bennett Explains:

Terrorism is not new. It has been taking place for 120 years. What is new is the type of terror which is the result of intensive incitement leading to them to then murdering Jews. We must deal with this on three fronts.

1. To prevent the incident. To close radio and television stations and to stop imams from inciting. I am pushing this and there is progress and I will continue pushing.

2. We must change the deterrence equation. What is happening today is the lone terrorist says to himself “I will die and get virgins in paradise. My family will receive a pension for the rest of their lives and I will be considered a hero”. Not a bad deal so what do we have to do to change this equation? (a) to bury the terrorists anonymously in the south or the Galil, without a proper kever; (b) to raze all illegal homes in the terrorist’s village and punish his surroundings that support and back him; (c) the same village should be closed or a curfew set in place until the village is more aggressively cleaned and (d) to prevent the money from reaching the family. This would be like the State of Israel giving money to the family of a Jew who murdered an Arab. This is simply unacceptable.

3. The other thing is the element of defense. I will not go into this in depth, but we must prevent movement that can endanger Jews on roads that are particularly dangerous.

From all of the above-mentioned, nothing is being done. People see Jews being killed each week and citizens do not see a response. I think this is half correct for in Jerusalem we responded and we see attacks have stopped since we acted. These attacks in the capital are not by residents of the city.

Throughout Yehuda and Shomron we have not done these things and I am pushing the cabinet to act but at the end we are only two fingers in the cabinet and doing our best.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)