Roughly 100 Israelis from Shilo and surrounding communities in Samaria held a protest Saturday night calling to use force to stop rock and firebomb attacks.
The protest was held along the highway, in the spot where the Har-Melekh family was attacked by terrorists in 2003. The attack killed young father Shuli Har-Melekh.
Protesters explained that there have been dozens of rock attacks by Palestinian Arab men in the area in recent weeks. Attackers try to maximize injury, and past rock attacks have led to serious injury and even death.
The protesters are calling on the army to step in to protect motorists. Specifically, they said, the army must reopen a security post that formerly existed along the highway, and must change the open-fire orders to allow soldiers to shoot at rock throwers.
“It’s a question of life and death,” they declared.
Attempts to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority have only exacerbated the problem, they argued. “The more the peace talks move forward, the more rock attacks there are,” protesters explained.
Several rabbis from the region were present, including the rabbis of the towns of Shilo, Maaleh Levona, Eli, and Shvut Rachel.
Dozens of residents of a nearby PA Arab town responded to the protest outside their community by burning tires.
Source material can be found at this site.
