Local Leaders Demand Decisive Action After West Bank Terror Attack

Following a severe car-ramming attack on Route 443 that critically injured reserve soldier Neriah Leiter, the heads of the Benjamin and Samaria regional councils visited him and his family at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, and Yisrael Gantz, head of the Benjamin and Yesha councils, expressed their demand for a firm government response to alter the security situation.

"The government must turn the table," stated Gantz, emphasizing the need for decisive action. He highlighted that this attack follows two incidents in Benjamin and another in Samaria within a week. Leiter, a resident of Samaria whose parents live in the Benjamin settlement of Ali, was injured in the attack. Gantz called for Israel to seize open areas, apply Israeli law, and deploy security forces, dismissing the distinction between Areas A, B, and C in the West Bank as dangerous.

Dagan echoed the sentiment, stressing national unity in praying for Leiter's recovery and offering support to his family and the community of Havat Yair. He asserted that the Israeli people are strong together and will not be broken, vowing to continue building and living in the region. Dagan rejected the concept of "lone wolf terrorism," arguing that a Palestinian Authority that incites terror is responsible for the near-daily attacks and that the public expects a strong response from the government to end the violence.