Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday launched a new plan aimed at thwarting Iran-backed terror in Judea and Samaria following the conclusion of Operation Rising Lion against Tehran.
“We are currently in a momentum that will not return. The head of the octopus—Iran—has taken a fatal blow, and this is the opportunity to strike a blow against the octopus’s arms within us as well,” Ben-Gvir declared in remarks cited by Hebrew media on Monday evening.
“Judea and Samaria are full of extremist Islamic elements with the exact same agenda: the destruction of the Jewish people,” the minister said in a statement, adding: “There is no difference between Tehran and Jenin.”
“We proved in Iran that it is possible to act deep in the heart of hostile territory. It’s time to apply the same force right under our own home—in Judea and Samaria,” the right-wing leader concluded.
The proposal, which Ben-Gvir reportedly presented to members of Israel’s government and defense establishment, calls for widespread strikes on terror structures, including command and control centers.
Ben-Gvir also urged strikes on Palestinian gunmen participating in parades and funerals across Judea and Samaria, legislating the death penalty for terrorists and setting up roadblocks outside hubs of terror.
He also demanded that Jerusalem impose far-reaching sanctions on the Palestinian Authority for its support for terrorism and work to eliminate the “armed wings” of P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction.
Israel’s Ynet news outlet cited security sources as claiming on Monday night that Tehran regards Palestinian terror groups across Judea and Samaria as its “last proxy” and was working to ignite more violence.
The IDF launched “Operation Iron Wall” on Jan. 21 to neutralize the threat posed by Palestinian terror hubs like Jenin in Samaria’s north.
The IDF has intensified its raids in the area following failed Feb. 20 bus bombings near Tel Aviv. Three empty buses exploded, and bombs were found on two others in what was investigated as a coordinated terror attack. At least one of the bombs reportedly bore a note, in Arabic and Hebrew, that stated: “Revenge from the Tulkarem refugee camp.”
Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 6,343 times in 2024, according to figures published by the Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) NGO on Feb. 17.
Twenty-seven Israelis were murdered in Judea and Samaria in 2024, and more than 300 others were wounded, the group said in its annual report.
