
Residents of the town of Avnei Hefetz in Samaria objected to the opening of a nearby access road to Arab motorists, fearing that the move would lead to an increase in the number of terrorist attacks.
The road was opened Sunday to Arabs from surrounding villages. It had been closed to Arab traffic after a Jewish couple, Shaul and Rachel Nir, were shot at by Arab terrorists on the access road. Shaul was seriously injured while Rachel suffered lighter injuries.
The IDF had asked to allow the access road to be reopened to Arab traffic. Brigadier General Achvat Ben-Hur, the head of the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, came to the access road today, along with the head of the Samaria Regional Council's Strategic Department, David Ben-Zion, and Avnei Hefez Council chairman Shuly Langerman.
"We explained to the head of the Civil Administration that in is just repeating the same mistake twice, to open the road, wait for a terror attack, and then close it again." Ben-Zion said. Brig, Gen. Ben-Hur "promised to double-check the issue."
Langerman told Arutz Sheva that during times when the road was opened to Arabs "we warned about the terror attacks. It was just last Hanukkah that the terrible incident where Shaul Nir was wounded in a shooting attack (occurred). After the attack, the road was completely closed off (to Arabs), and then afterwards they reopened the road."
"We told everyone that safety and security cannot be the basis of life only for Arabs." Langerman said. He added that all residents of the area, Arab and Jewish alike, "should be allowed a reasonable quality of life in safety and security."
"Don't wait for the next attack."