Shot terrorists in Beit Shemesh attack
Shot terrorists in Beit Shemesh attackYaakov Lederman/Flash 90

Former Yesh Atid MK Dov Lipman, a resident of Beit Shemesh in central Israel, responded on Thursday afternoon to the terrorist attack that took place in the city earlier in the day, noting a troubling phenomenon facilitating many recent attacks.

In the attack, two Arab terrorists stabbed a young haredi man coming out of a synagogue near a bus station in the city, before the two were shot by security forces.

"The residents of the city join together to pray for the injured young man," began Lipman.

Speaking about the identity of the terrorists, he noted, "as a volunteer in the Border Patrol I can attest to the fact that we spend most of our time finding illegal workers and infiltrators in the area."

"Contractors are breaking the law and are hiring workers without permits. Many even sleep in the construction sites overnight. The city must send inspectors day and night to check these sites and fine the contractors."

Giving greater urgency to Lipman's words is the fact that the two terrorists were 20-year-old residents of Surif in the Hevron region of Judea, who had apparently illegally entered sovereign Israeli territory. 

One was a member of a Hamas youth wing, while the other had been jailed from 2012 to 2014 after being caught with a knife outside Hevron's Cave of Machpelah. They were wearing Hamas shirts during the attack; one died in hospital while the second is in critical condition.

Lipman concluded by saying, "I applaud the citizens who took notice of the terrorists and called the police. We, in Beit Shemesh, will continue to live our lives as normal and this will be the ultimate victory against the terrorists."

As noted by the ex-MK, the two attackers indicate a growing trend of terrorists entering sovereign Israeli territory illegally from Judea and Samaria, or else taking advantage of their illegal work to launch attacks.

One example was seen two weeks ago in Tel Aviv, when an illegal Arab construction worker stabbed and lightly wounded five Jews with a screwdriver in the center of the coastal metropolis.