A subcommittee of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee held a discussion Wednesday of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Judea and Samaria.
The session was covened to discuss complaints by soldiers that their hands are effectively tied in the confrontation with Arab terrorists, because of strict orders regarding the use of live fire.
The IDF's Judea and Samaria Division Commander, Major General Nitzan Alon, began testifying before the committee only after representatives of the Jewish Judea and Samaria population left the room, at his insistence.
The Committee Chairman, MK Moti Yogev, said that since Operation Pillar of Defense last November, there has been a rise of 112% in the volume of terrorist activities in the sector, as compared to the previous year.
These terror acts include firing from light weapons, rock throwing, fire bombs and improvised explosive devices.
MK Yogev identified three main components in the process that led to the rise in terror. The first is the removal of checkpoints that had been scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. The second is a growing reliance on PA "security forces." The third, and possibly the worst, according to Yogev, is the policy of "containment" according to which initiative and aggressiveness need to be cut down to a bare minimum, in order to minimize Arab casualties. "This policy has led to the fact the terrorists' daring is on the rise," he said, "and the IDF soldiers have no authority on the ground today."