A preliminary investigation showed that Bnei Brak terrorist Dia Hamarsha entered Israel through a breach in the security fence in the northern Shomron, through which thousands of illegal workers enter Israel every day, and continued to do so on Wednesday morning, hours after the attack.

Yossi Dagan, the head of the Shomron Regional Council, has been warning senior members of the defense establishment about the breaches in the security fence for years.

Just three months ago, during the shiva for Yehudah Dimentman, z’l, who was murdered by Palestinians in a shooting attack in the Shomron, Dagan met Deputy Defense Minister Alon Schuster near the separation fence to show him the breaches in the fence, warning him of the danger of illegal workers entering Israel.

Considering Schuster’s comments after the terror attack in Be’er Sheva that “we have to remember that the Bedouins have been discriminated against for years,” it’s no wonder that he didn’t take action.

Ynet reported that the day after the attack, footage from security cameras near Hamarsha’s hometown of Ya’bad shows illegal Palestinian workers on Wednesday morning continuing to enter Israel via breaches in the security fence.

“This terror attack could have been avoided,” said Dagan. “For years Israel has neglected the security fence and ignored the entrance of illegal workers into the country with the ‘humanitarian’ excuse, instead of conducting an organized entry for legal workers. Israel is turning a blind eye to an obvious and real threat.”

Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel said: “I demand that the security fence be enforced. The current situation allows free passage for Palestinians along the fence at different points that security forces are aware of.”

“This creates extensive criminal activity that for years has been causing suffering to local residents. It’s not a quick solution but we must make a decision, and invest a lot of money in it.”

Elazar Roth, a resident of the nearby yishuv of Tal Menashe, said: “Every morning, from pre-dawn hours until 7 a.m., dozens of vehicles pull up to pick up Palestinians that cross the security fence illegally.”

“What we see is a lack of governance, active abandonment. It’s not that the security forces don’t know and don’t see – they simply decided to leave it this way. We need to deal with this phenomenon.”

“Our hearts are with the people that paid with their lives. But that’s exactly the point – we need to abide by our own law. If we have a security fence, we can’t leave it [open] like this.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)