Judea and Samaria: The Iron Dome of Tel Aviv

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UPDATES 6 pm Israel time Wednesday:

*At 3:20 pm this afternoon–about two and half hours ago–an IDF patrol in Samaria came under an intense Molotov cocktail and rock attack.  No physical injuries have been reported.

*Israeli police report, to no one’s surprise, that there has been a dramatic increase in “rock” attacks in Judea and Samaria in the last three months with 70 incidents in December, 120 in January, and 250 in February.

The central areas for these vicious “rock” throwing assaults are the Gush Etzion-Hebron road, the Huwara village near Shechem (Nablus), Wadi Haramieh, Route 5 (one of the main roads across Samaria), and Route 443 between Modiin and Jerusalem.

It has become virtually impossible for an Israeli motorist to navigate any of these roads without coming under attack. That is why Avigdor Lieberman held a press conference this morning demanding that IDF rules of engagement be changed–something that your humble servant has been advocating for at least a year.

As Lieberman pointed out, it won’t be long until Highway 1 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem becomes the target of choice for Palestinian terrorist “rock” throwers.

TODAY’S BLOG:

Israeli soldiers on the ground prepare to assault Israeli residents of Yamit. Note the final Israeli flags on the tops of the buildings.

If there was one thing that Israel should have learned from our unilateral withdrawal from Yamit in the northern Sinai on April 23, 1982, it was that Jewish communities “on the front line” serve as bulwarks against terrorism. Israel did not learn the lesson.

Some of those uprooted from their homes in northern Gaza by Israeli soldiers (in background).

If there was one thing that Israel should have learned from our unilateral withdrawal from northern Gaza on September 12, 2005, it was that Jewish communities “on the front line” serve as bulwarks against terrorism. When those communities were ordered to be evacuated and razed by Ariel Sharon, Hamas moved in and thousands of missiles were launched against southern Israel. Those missiles are still being launched.

Have we learned our lesson?

It was in this context that Deputy Defense Minister MK Danny Danon, spoke today in Samaria at the site of the settlement that was razed by the Israeli government five years ago. This was Danon’s first speech since being named Deputy Defense Minister.

And how refreshing it was to hear Danon declare that “Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria significantly strengthen of the security of the state of Israel.”

Danon went on to state the obvious (the obvious for all but the Obamas and Livnis of the world) that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are the “Iron Dome of Tel Aviv”.  

As Danon pointed out: “We left Gaza and got a Hamastan. We can not afford to repeat such mistakes in Judea and Samaria.”

Greater truth has rarely been spoken in regard to Judea and Samaria. 

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