In his first public statement since a terrorist attack on the Merkaz HaRav Kook Yeshiva Thursday night, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert connected the massacre to the ongoing siege on western Negev communities by Palestinian Authority terrorists in Gaza.
Olmert said there was “a direct connection” between the constant Kassam rocket attacks on Sderot and other Gaza Belt communities, and the murder of eight yeshiva students and wounding of 11 others in Jerusalem.
“Both are designed to make our lives intolerable,” said the Prime Minister. “In the same way that we have prevented attacks by Arab countries and Hizbullah, which has not dared to fire a missile at us for a year and a half, we will prevent attacks by terrorists,” he said.
Closure on Judea, Samaria to Continue
Security forces across Israel went on high alert following the attack. Within hours, all crossings into and out of Palestinian Authority-controlled areas in Judea and Samaria were sealed off.
The closure, which began at 1:00 a.m. Friday, is currently planned to extend through the upcoming holiday of Purim, which begins on March 20. A statement issued by the government said exceptions will be made for humanitarian and medical purposes, as they have been at the Gaza crossings.
Motorists have been asked to remain patient at security checkpoints traveling in and out of Jerusalem and other cities throughout the country.