As the Hebrew year draws to a close, the Samaria regional council held a special ceremony today to honor the Israel Dog Unit for another year of exemplary volunteer work defending residents of Samaria.
Regional council head Yossi Dagan, along with Jonothan Samchi, head of Samaria’s security department, hosted IDU director Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov in the regional council offices for an official declaration of support for the IDU and thanks for its round-the-clock security efforts on behalf of residents of Samaria, as well as awarding the IDU as a whole a certificate of appreciation for its efforts.
“We are proud of the IDU,” Dagan commented, “It saves lives continually, both in the Samaria and everywhere else in Israel. We in the Samaria have witnessed firsthand the dedication and creativity with which this unit defends our citizens, and we are obliged to offer our profound thanks. May the IDU be blessed in the new year to grow larger and stronger, and continue its invaluable work for the state and people of Israel.”
Another congratulatory message for the upcoming New Year was sent by Nir Yona, commander of the Zevulun precinct of the Israel Police: “The Israel Dog Unit has aided us with more than one thousand ‘missing person’ cases in the past year. I believe it to be an asset to all of Israel, and it is my pleasant duty to wish the IDU a sweet, happy, and successful new year.”
Over the past year, the Israel Dog Unit's security work has included fighting arson and livestock theft, preventing infiltration into vulnerable towns, protecting citizens during the civil unrest that accompanied Operation Guardian of the Walls, and a two-week-long cooperative effort with the Border Police and IDF to break the siege of Evyatar.