Grieving Father Inaugurates Junction at Site of Family's Fatal Attack

Yoel Tzur, a settler and bereaved father, inaugurated "Tzur Junction" on Wednesday, marking a significant moment at the precise location near Ramallah where his wife Ita and son Ephraim were murdered in a shooting attack approximately 30 years ago. The ceremony, attended by his daughter and grandchildren, took place on the central part of the Walershtain axis (Route 463).

The inauguration coincides with a growing campaign by residents to reopen the Walershtain axis, an important road intended to directly connect the Gush Beit El and Ofra settlements with the Gush Dolev-Talmonim and western Benjamin regions. This strategic road has been closed to Jewish traffic by security forces for about 26 years, forcing residents onto a lengthy detour that extended travel time from 12 minutes to nearly an hour.

In recent weeks, settler activists have been conducting daily convoys along the axis to establish a presence and pressure security and government officials to approve its full reopening. Recent resident measurements indicate that a direct drive from Dolev to Beit El via the axis now takes approximately 13 minutes, a saving of about 60% in travel time and a significant reduction in traffic congestion on Route 60 and at checkpoints.

During the inauguration, Tzur stated, "We are opening 'Tzur Junction' today in memory of Ita and Ephraim, who were murdered right here at this junction. This place must return to full Israeli control for two reasons: first, from a security perspective, it is impossible for such a central junction to remain abandoned without our forces' control. Second, it is a civilian lifeline."

He urged the government and security establishment to make the Walershtain axis operational, reconnect eastern and western Benjamin, and allow tens of thousands of residents free, safe, and fast passage. "It is time for the army and the government to make a decision, take control of the area and open the road," Tzur added.