Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Shlomo Ne’eman responded to this morning’s stunt by the Regavim organization, which placed PLO flags along highway 60 in the Gush and in other areas throughout Judea and Samaria.
Ne'eman was critical of the "threatening style" of the stunt, while backing its message.
“The Regavim movement carried out an aggressive and provocative campaign aimed at awakening and swaying public sentiment about the rampant illegal building being carried out by the PA in Area C. We are uncomfortable with the threatening style of this stunt, and certainly don’t like to see PLO flags hanging in our area. At the same time, in our current reality, the government and decision makers must understand that we are approaching the point of no return," Ne'eman said.
"Currently there are agricultural farms and entire communities being established by the Arabs under the auspicious of the PLO in Area C thanks to European funding. This is an insanity which impacts us on a national level. There is a need for an immediate and wide scale emergency operation by the IDF, the police, the Shin Bet, the Civil Administration and the Ministry of Defense, to halt this large-scale illegal construction by the PLO in Area C."
Earlier Sunday, the Jewish nationalist group Regavim took responsibility for the placing of hundreds of PLO flags along major roads in Judea and Samaria roads that residents encountered this morning on their way to work.
While the purpose of the campaign was to illustrate the PA takeover of Area C throughout Judea and Samaria, the display aroused anger among many residents.
Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim, said, “We understand the harsh reactions of the residents of Judea and Samaria who saw the flags this morning, but we also understand that there is a terrorist state taking shape right around the corner. Residents of Judea and Samaria have been lulled into a dangerous slumber.”
“The flags we put up this morning will not determine the future of Judea and Samaria, but tens of thousands of illegal structures built in the past decade, and tens of thousands of dunams that have been seized by the Palestinian Authority with the support of European countries, most certainly will. The time has come for the government to take action and to stop the Fayyad Plan – not with words but with real on-the-ground deeds. It’s not too late, but time is running out.”