Israel has arrested more than 130 suspects in its search for the gunman behind a shooting attack at the Givat Asaf outpost last Thursday, which killed IDF Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef and Sgt. Yosef Cohen and wounded two others, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told soldiers who served with Mor Yosef and Cohen during a visit to Givat Asaf on Tuesday.
“Over the weekend there were 100 arrests and yesterday [Monday] there were 36. It’s a matter of time until we find the murderer, like we found the others, and hold him accountable like we did the others. Palestinian terrorism will not move us from this place, the heart of our homeland,” Netanyahu told troops in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion.
“One of your comrades is fighting for his life, and we are all praying for him,” he told the soldiers. “We are full of appreciation for your activity and are absolutely certain of our ability to carry out the main mission.”
He continued, saying “the main mission is, first of all, to strike at terrorism, to maintain the security of the state and the settlers, and—to the extent possible—maintain quiet in the area, also with the Palestinian residents.”
The prime minister said that effective operations began and ended with professionalism and a readiness to step into the breach. “This is why you are here,” he said.
During the visit, GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan and Brig. Gen. Eran Niv, the commander of the Judea Samaria Brigade, gave Netanyahu a military briefing and reviewed the events of the Givat Asaf shooting.
Head of the Beit El Regional Council Shay Alon accompanied the prime minister to Givat Asaf. The two leaders recited psalms at the makeshift memorial that has been erected there.
Alon also asked Netanyahu to keep the checkpoint near Beit El closed, explaining that terrorists behind recent attacks have escaped through it.
