The residents of the Gush Etzion community of Bat Ayin do not live behind a fence. Nor do they intend to build one, despite a murderous terror attack that left a teenage boy dead and a younger child wounded.
An axe-swinging terrorist was able to race into the community on his murderous rampage and then race back out, with no physical obstacles to slow him down.
Sixteen-year-old Shlomo Nativ paid the price with his life; seven-year-old Yair Gamliel is lying in a hospital bed at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem, having undergone surgery for a broken skull.
A resident who wrestled with the murderer managed to slow him down and deter him from continuing the attack, but failed to stop him completely; he managed to escape, melting into the hills that surround the community.
One reason he could do that so easily may have been the lack of a fence surrounding the town of 800 Jewish souls.
Those who live in the community said on Thursday that they did not believe the presence of a fence would change their security status. “Fences can be penetrated,” said one, who asked not to be identified. “I don’t think we should have to live behind a fence.”
Meanwhile, the manhunt continues for the terrorist who raced into the community and hacked at the two boys. IDF officials have vowed to track him down, and said it is only a matter of time before he will be caught. Newly-installed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday he viewed the incident with "utmost gravity" and ordered security services to do whatever needs to be done in order to find and apprehend the murderer.
Etzion Brigade deputy commander Lt.-Col. Guy Oshri told journalists Thursday evening, "We will do our best to find him and put him where he belongs. We have a lead, and according to our calculations he will be arrested soon."