Dozens of residents of the Dolev block of Jewish communities in the western Binyamin region drove between Neve Tzuf to Nachliel to protest the army's decision to open the Nachliel gate close to Nachliel to Arab traffic. No unusual incidents were reported on the route, which passes the Arab villages of Bitilu and Deir Amar.
One of the initiators of the trip said, "If the army opens the routes to Arabs and endangers us, then we will travel on arteries that were closed to us. There's no reason why we can travel on all the routes and go comfortably from place to place." Noting that the road used Tuesday morning is not officially closed but area Jews do not generally use it, he continued, "In the next phase, we will act to travel on routes that are officially closed to Jewish traffic. As far as we're concerned, all the roads are open."
The Binyamin Residents' Council issued a statement calling the army's decision a security risk while calling the ban on Jewish travel roads anywhere in Israel a disgrace. The statement concluded, "We won't agree to this capitulation, which sends a message of weakness, and will continue to act to prevent discrimination against the Jews."