The leader of the Yesha Council, which represents the interests of the some 500,000 Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, has recently been assigned a round-the-clock security detail in response to threats “at the highest level,” Israel’s Kan public broadcaster revealed on Thursday.
Shlomo Ne’eman, who has also served as the head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council since 2017, reportedly received credible threats from Palestinian terrorists, warranting the increased security measures.
In a message sent to his neighbors in the town of Karmei Tzur, cited by Israel National News, Ne’eman confirmed that security officials had classified him as a “threatened individual.”
“This means that a permanent guard will be posted outside my house, and a bodyguard will go with me everywhere, including everywhere in town,” he wrote.
“This is a very uncomfortable situation for me and us as a family, and we all hope that it will be canceled quickly (not due to a position change, God forbid),” said Ne’eman.
A spokesperson for the Gush Etzion Regional Council suggested to JNS that the threats might be related to Ne’eman’s recent opposition to illegal Arab building in the Judean Desert.
Last month, the local council, under Ne’eman’s leadership, launched a campaign calling on the Israeli government to act against the construction of a new Palestinian Authority city.
Under the 1998 Wye River Memorandum, intended to facilitate the implementation of the Oslo II agreement, the construction site is designated as a nature reserve, and Ramallah agreed it would make “no changes in the status of these areas.”
Ne’eman has called Jerusalem’s failure to put a stop to the project a “loss of governance on the most serious level,” warning that the city could potentially be used as a base for terrorist groups operating in the area and threaten the Jewish presence in the region.
“I call on all of the decision-makers to come to this ... reserve to understand the situation and immediately stop the continuation of this dangerous construction,” he said in August.
Earlier this month, a press event to bring attention to the matter was disrupted by a large group of Palestinians.
“If there were no guns there, it could have erupted into serious violence. I think that was a deterrent,” said JNS reporter Josh Hasten, who was at the scene. He noted that about 10 of those in attendance were armed, including a security detail for National Missions Minister Orit Strock.
Following pressure from fellow coalition members, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant joined Ne’eman on a visit to the endangered nature reserve on Wednesday.
“An endeavor to construct a [Palestinian] city is taking place with the aim of becoming the jewel of Gush Etzion and the Jewish communities of Mount Hebron from the east. This activity is in conflict with all treaties signed in the past,” noted Gallant during the tour.
