Despite the recent surge in violence and with the arrival of Ramadan, the IDF has taken down several key checkpoints across Judea and Samaria this week. These included barriers that had been installed in response to serious terror attacks, as well as those positioned along roads frequently used by terrorists to evade capture.
One of the reopened checkpoints is the Jit crossing in Samaria, situated near one of the exits from Shechem (Nablus), which had been shut down months ago. Additionally, the Bayt Fajar checkpoint in Gush Etzion has now been opened to Arab traffic. In the Efraim Brigade’s jurisdiction, a number of checkpoints were dismantled, removing critical security barriers that previously stood between areas known for terrorist activity and Jewish roadways.
Among the barriers that were taken down was the one at the primary exit from Tulkarm, not far from where Elahan Klein was murdered. Also removed were the checkpoints at Funduk and Jinsafut, close to the site of the deadly attack that occurred two months ago on Route 55. Furthermore, the security barriers located beneath the bridge near the Avnei Hefetz guard tower were also eliminated.
Additionally, soldiers operating in Judea and Samaria received updated directives regarding ad-hoc checkpoints and patrols in Arab villages during Ramadan. Commanders in the regional brigades issued instructions prohibiting troops from establishing surprise checkpoints or holding up Palestinian Arab vehicles for more than ten minutes during the late afternoon and evening hours, in order to avoid inconveniencing those who are fasting.
Security forces were also ordered to halt patrols within villages that are typically conducted to reinforce Israeli authority and prevent terror activity. Soldiers were explicitly told not to enter the first row of homes in villages adjacent to Jewish roads between 4:00 and 9:00 p.m., the time when Iftar meals are taking place.
“The IDF and ISA sound as if they want to stop terrorism, but in fact, on the ground, they treat the enemy like a peace-seeking population,” the “Nilchamim Al Hachaim” (Fighting for Life) organization stated. “Thousands of times it has been proved that this a fully hostile population that is a partner of terrorism, and it must be destroyed before it destroys us.
“As you do with an enemy, you must fight without gloves, and certainly not give ‘concessions’ which will cost Jewish blood. With the replacement of the Chief of Staff, the defense establishment must go through a serious cleaning to change its approach which still hasn’t changed after a year and a half of war,” the organization added.
{Matzav.com Israel}