Yesha Council leaders on Sunday issued a letter to Israel’s Security Cabinet before its weekly meeting, calling on the government to take preventative military measures against terrorist activities.
“Iran has been attempting recently to establish Judea and Samaria as a war front [against Israel] in light of our hits to its branches in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria,” the letter states.
The Yesha Council is an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.
The letter implored the cabinet to change the situation on the ground, proposing three main steps be taken:
First, the council suggested temporarily relocating Palestinians residing in terror-prone areas, especially in the so-called “refugee camps,” so that Israeli forces could target terror infrastructure, similar to the Israeli military’s approach in Gaza.
Second, it urged that anti-terror raids in Judea and Samaria be replaced with a major ground offensive similar, again similar to that being conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza.
The third step the letter proposed was the passing of legislation stipulating that convicted terrorists be deported.
“It’s time for a mindset transformation, from a defensive mode to a lethal and effective offensive mode in Judea and Samaria,” the letter concluded.
According to Israel’s Channel 14 broadcaster, cabinet members convened at the IDF’s Central Command in Jerusalem on Sunday to discuss the latest security developments in Judea and Samaria.
At the meeting, Israeli ministers received a summary of the military’s activities in Judea and Samaria, with National Missions Minister Orit Strook of the Religious Zionism Party urging the military to “drain the swamp” of terrorism rather than “eliminate one mosquito at a time,” according to the report.
The Palestinian Authority fears that terrorist organizations could attempt a coup inspired by the rebel takedown of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.
Its rare operation over the weekend, dubbed “Defense of the Homeland,” was launched by Ramallah following the Dec. 5 seizure by Hamas and Islamic Jihad of a P.A. vehicle in the Jenin camp, a hotbed of Iranian-backed terrorism, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Sunday.
According to Arab media reports, two Palestinian terrorists have so far been killed by the P.A., including Yazid Jaysa, a leader in the Islamic Jihad-led Jenin Brigades who was reportedly also wanted by Israel.
In addition, at least 14 Palestinians were wounded in the clashes, and an unknown number of suspects arrested, according to local reports.
