Gil\'ad (ben Ya\'el) Zar, the security officer of the 32 communities of the Shomron Regional Council, is still listed in critical but stable condition after he was shot several times by Palestinian terrorists this morning. The attack occurred at the Yitzhar Junction, between Tapuach and Shechem in Samaria. At least four bullets hit him in the arm, side, and chest, but he continued driving northwards until he reached the nearby Horon Base. Arutz-7\'s Kobi Finkler reports that his specially-equipped security car was clearly recognizable, and the GSS believes that the terrorists were lying in wait specifically for him. He was evacuated by helicopter to Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he underwent an operation.
In response to the continuing terrorism and violence, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer says that he is not looking to escalate the situation, but that his patience is wearing thin. Bentzi Lieberman, the Shomron Regional Council Chairman, complained today that Prime Minister Sharon has not changed the policies of the previous government, \"even though he knows that it was for this express purpose that he was elected. He is waiting for Earth Day [an upcoming day of Arab protests] to pass, and for the Arab League summit [beginning this Tuesday] to pass - but there will always be occasions of this sort, and meanwhile Jewish lives are in the balance… Sharon knows what the solutions are, he simply has to carry them out. It\'s clear that at the beginning of these measures, the Palestinians will cry out to the world, and they will stage all sorts of incidents, and some Palestinians will even be hurt by these measures - but in the end this is what will work. We can\'t have one day of closure, then it\'s called off, then on again, etc.\" A Yesha Council statement said that Israel\'s security must not be a hostage to international Arab conferences.
NRP faction leader MK Sha\'ul Yahalom similarly said that Sharon was elected in order to implement a new security policy, and not to give off excuses about diplomatic necessities.
However, some say that a strong Israeli reaction would serve Yasser Arafat\'s interests perfectly. Arafat\'s Fatah terrorist organization has distributed leaflets calling on the Arab public in the Shechem region to clash with Israeli soldiers at local checkpoints. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman explained today that Arafat needs \"violence and clashes and funerals\" in preparation for this week\'s Arab League conference in Amman:
\"Arafat has instructed the intifada to continue, meaning public protests and clashes with soldiers. At the same time, the live-fire combat continues as well, with shooting last night at Psagot and elsewhere. This is Arafat\'s way of preparing for the Arab League summit. It sounds cynical, but Arafat wants to see many Palestinian funerals and pictures of violent clashes and burning tires as the summit opens, so that he can show the Arab Foreign Ministers how Israel is killing them and how he needs help, etc.\"
The ruse is not working particularly well, Huberman continued, neither at home nor abroad:
\"Both on Friday and today, only a couple of hundred youths came out to riot, because basically the people are tired of it... Among the Arab countries, Egypt and Jordan don\'t want an escalation in the Palestinian areas, because they don\'t want their own Muslim fundamentalists at home to follow this example and also act up. Syria and Iraq, on the other hand, are more interested in a flare-up... The Arab countries on the whole have not quite fallen for Arafat\'s act; they\'ve promised him a billion dollars, but so far have only given a few million...\" The intifada leadership has called for a special \"Day of Rage\" on Tuesday in honor of the Arab League conference.
Following the terrorist shooting at Gil\'ad Zar this morning, a stormy demonstration was held by the Jewish community of Hevron, where one of Zar\'s brothers lives. Hevron officials report that the brother, Oren Zar, was brutally beaten by police during the demonstration and was taken to a Jerusalem hospital. Police report that Jewish residents turned over Arab market stalls, which resulted in clashes between Jews and Arabs. Another Jewish protest demonstration was held in the area of the attack, where residents demand that the way to Jewish communities near Shechem be made safe for Jewish traffic.
In response to the continuing terrorism and violence, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer says that he is not looking to escalate the situation, but that his patience is wearing thin. Bentzi Lieberman, the Shomron Regional Council Chairman, complained today that Prime Minister Sharon has not changed the policies of the previous government, \"even though he knows that it was for this express purpose that he was elected. He is waiting for Earth Day [an upcoming day of Arab protests] to pass, and for the Arab League summit [beginning this Tuesday] to pass - but there will always be occasions of this sort, and meanwhile Jewish lives are in the balance… Sharon knows what the solutions are, he simply has to carry them out. It\'s clear that at the beginning of these measures, the Palestinians will cry out to the world, and they will stage all sorts of incidents, and some Palestinians will even be hurt by these measures - but in the end this is what will work. We can\'t have one day of closure, then it\'s called off, then on again, etc.\" A Yesha Council statement said that Israel\'s security must not be a hostage to international Arab conferences.
NRP faction leader MK Sha\'ul Yahalom similarly said that Sharon was elected in order to implement a new security policy, and not to give off excuses about diplomatic necessities.
However, some say that a strong Israeli reaction would serve Yasser Arafat\'s interests perfectly. Arafat\'s Fatah terrorist organization has distributed leaflets calling on the Arab public in the Shechem region to clash with Israeli soldiers at local checkpoints. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman explained today that Arafat needs \"violence and clashes and funerals\" in preparation for this week\'s Arab League conference in Amman:
\"Arafat has instructed the intifada to continue, meaning public protests and clashes with soldiers. At the same time, the live-fire combat continues as well, with shooting last night at Psagot and elsewhere. This is Arafat\'s way of preparing for the Arab League summit. It sounds cynical, but Arafat wants to see many Palestinian funerals and pictures of violent clashes and burning tires as the summit opens, so that he can show the Arab Foreign Ministers how Israel is killing them and how he needs help, etc.\"
The ruse is not working particularly well, Huberman continued, neither at home nor abroad:
\"Both on Friday and today, only a couple of hundred youths came out to riot, because basically the people are tired of it... Among the Arab countries, Egypt and Jordan don\'t want an escalation in the Palestinian areas, because they don\'t want their own Muslim fundamentalists at home to follow this example and also act up. Syria and Iraq, on the other hand, are more interested in a flare-up... The Arab countries on the whole have not quite fallen for Arafat\'s act; they\'ve promised him a billion dollars, but so far have only given a few million...\" The intifada leadership has called for a special \"Day of Rage\" on Tuesday in honor of the Arab League conference.
Following the terrorist shooting at Gil\'ad Zar this morning, a stormy demonstration was held by the Jewish community of Hevron, where one of Zar\'s brothers lives. Hevron officials report that the brother, Oren Zar, was brutally beaten by police during the demonstration and was taken to a Jerusalem hospital. Police report that Jewish residents turned over Arab market stalls, which resulted in clashes between Jews and Arabs. Another Jewish protest demonstration was held in the area of the attack, where residents demand that the way to Jewish communities near Shechem be made safe for Jewish traffic.