Arab workers will not be allowed into Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria Tuesday, the IDF decided Monday night. The announcement comes following a decision by Etzion Brigade Commander Colonel Roman Gofman to remove all Arab workers from the Gush Etzion communities, in response to the two attacks on Jewish women by Arabs armed with knives.
The ban will be only on Arab entry into residential communities and not on those entering industrial areas. The move was made because the security apparatus is concerned that personal security in area Jewish communities has been severely undermined. After months in which local Jews were afraid of being attacked in intersections and on the road, home invasion attacks have upped the ante and increased residents’ fear levels. The IDF will be reexamining in the coming days the protocol for letting Arab workers into Jewish areas.
Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division Brigadier General Lior Carmeli instructed Judea and Samaria Jewish civilians to carry their personal rifles with them.
The most recent attack, in T’koa, where a pregnant woman was stabbed, happened at the same time that the funeral for Sunday’s stabbing victim, Dafna Meir, was taking place.