IDF forces operating in northern Samaria on Saturday noticed a Palestinian Authority flag which had been planted in a dirt military blockade placed by the IDF at the entrance to Kafr Bazria.
A backhoe loader which arrived to evacuate the scene moved the flag, and it was found that terrorists had planted a dummy bomb at the site, recalling a terror attack last week near Kochav Hashahar. Despite this, the soldiers were ordered to leave the blockade open to Palestinian Authority traffic, and not to return it to the way it had been before the dummy bomb was planted.
The bomb is the latest in a string of terror incidents, mostly involving explosive devices, which have recently taken place in northern Samaria.
In recent months, a number of explosive devices were planted, with the goal of harming IDF forces in the area, as well as civilians traveling along the road. As a result, a number of IDF soldiers suffered injuries of varying degrees, and an Israeli civilian was injured as he traveled on the road together with four of his friends.
Following this string of incidents, students at the nearby Homesh Yeshiva are demanding that the IDF deal with the terrorists with a firm hand.
The yeshiva’s director general, Shmuel Wende, said, “It is unthinkable that the IDF’s answer to such a terror attack should be to open the blockade which was closed until now to Palestinian traffic. We call on the IDF and defense echelon to change their mode of operation in northern Samaria as well, and act with a strong hand against terror. This situation, which has continued for many long months, cannot continue any longer, and it must be changed as soon as possible.”
The yeshiva also noted that despite the incidents in northern Samaria, including on Shabbat (the Sabbath), despite the current vacation, the yeshiva students were in attendance and celebrated Shabbat at the site. In addition, many visitors used the intermediate days of Passover in order to visit the site and support the Jewish presence in northern Samaria.
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