B’Chasdei Hashem, a possible mass-casualty bombing at the entrance to the yishuv of Ateret in Binyamin was averted in the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning.

At about 4:30 a.m., security officers discovered an unoccupied car at the entrance to the yishuv. IDF soldiers and police officers called to the scene discovered that the car was equipped with two large gas canisters connected to a detonator.

Military and police bomb sappers immediately began feverishly working on neutralizing the explosive device, and baruch Hashem, managed to do so before it exploded.

Meanwhile, as the day began, the entrance of the yishuv was closed off and Highway 465, which crosses Binyamin, was blocked to traffic between the British Police Junction and Neve Tzuf. School buses heading to the yishuv were redirected.

Religious Zionism MK Ohad Tal responded to the report by stating: “The third car bomb in three days. Together with the attack in Tel Aviv two weeks ago, we can already regretfully say – the second intifada is back. The IDF must launch a large-scale operation in Yehudah and Shomron today!”

Yisrael Gantz, chairman of the Binyamin Regional and Yesha Councils, stated: “A great miracle happened this morning in Binyamin. Terrorism in Yehudah and Shomron requires military action just like in Gaza and Rafah.”

The terrorists apparently attempted a new tactic to harm Jews following the car bombings at a gas station and the Karmei Tzur yishuv in Gush Etzion on Friday night. In a huge neis, although both bombs exploded, only the terrorists were killed and several Israelis were lightly wounded.

Tragically, a terrorist murdered three police officers in a shooting attack near Chevron on Sunday.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)