Public Security Minister Yitchak Aharonovich has announced that security forces are closing in on the terror cell that was responsible for murdering four Jews last week on Highway 60.
The four residents of Beit Hagai were shot to death by Hamas terrorists who ambushed them as they drove past the Bani Nayim junction, located between the Jewish communities of Pene Hever and Kiryat Arba/Hevron.
At an event held Saturday in Holon, Aharonovich said that Israel “must fight Hamas in all possible ways. But we cannot change our policies after each terrorist attack. Police and security forces will give their full support to all political decisions.”
He added, “I cannot go into the details, but we are close to capturing the terrorists that carried out the attack last week.”
The minister added that the negotiations taking place in Washington D.C. Between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas are facing numerous obstacles, not the least of which are efforts by terrorists to sabotage the process.
“Like everyone, I want to believe there will be peace,” he said. “With that, we received several reminders last week about the difficult reality, with the terror attack and attempted attacks” -- a reference to the second attack that followed Tuesday night's murderous attack, a scant 27 hours later, Wednesday at approximately 11:00 p.m. A Jewish man and his wife were injured – the man seriously wounded – when Hamas terrorists attacked them in a second ambush on Highway 60 north of Jerusalem near the Rimonim junction, in the Binyamin region.
“We find ourselves in a complicated period, and there are forces that will try to impede our progress,” Aharonovich said.
Netanyahu and Abbas meanwhile agreed in Washington to resume direct talks a week from Sunday in Sharm el-Sheikh, together with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell.
Netanyahu and Abbas agreed at the end of their talks in Washington to try to resolve all final status issues within one year. Sources said the prime minister did not rule out calling a general referendum to vote on any deal that might be reached at the negotiating table.