President Moshe Katzav and outgoing Prime Minister Barak paid a condolence visit to the family of Dr. Shmuel Gillis in Karmei Tzur yesterday. Dr. Gillis was murdered last Thursday night by Palestinian terrorists while driving home from work. His widow, Ruth, asked Barak to utilize his remaining days in office to put an end to the wave of terrorist murders in Judea and Samaria: \"Now that these beautiful children are left with only a mother, I am afraid to take the chance and travel on these roads. So Mr. Prime Minister, you have a few days left, and I\'m afraid to travel until you, Mr. Prime Minister, call me on the phone and say, \'Ruti, you can leave your house.\'\"



Aside from a quick visit to Alfei Menashe last week, this was Barak\'s first visit to Yesha since well before the current violence began. He said, \"I am certain that this battle will be decided through tremendously painful sacrifices, chiefly by people who have given of themselves here for decades, who have raised children here, who are at the very front of the Land of Israel enterprise...\" Mrs. Gillis interrupted him: \"Are you talking about us? About this house, about these children?\"

Barak: \"No, I\'m talking about the painful decisions that --\"

Mrs. Gillis: \"No, but you mentioned that it would be painful, and the front line - are you talking about this very house? I would like to understand...\"

Barak: \"I\'m referring to the decisions...\"