Traffic jams are growing. This morning (Wednesday), the head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, announced that he would move his office in front of the home of Defense Minister Benny Gantz in Rosh Haayin. There, he will demonstrate with heads of the authorities from the Samaria Regional Council, Yisrael Gantz and Yohai Damri, in protest against the growing traffic jams in Samaria, in particular, and throughout Judea and Samaria, in general.
For the past two years, the Samaria Regional Council has been asking the Defense Ministry to approve the addition of inspection lanes and personnel at three checkpoints: Shomron Crossing - the central checkpoint on Highway 5; Tanim Crossing - the checkpoint on the road serving residents of the settlements of Shomron Einav and Avni Hefetz; and the Rantis checkpoint – used by residents of the communities of Paduel, Alei Zahav, Bruchin, and Leshem as well as some of the Binyamin settlements.
During this period, Dagan met several times with the Defense Minister to discuss the issue, held two tours in the field with the head of the Crossings Authority, as well as with other senior officials in the Defense Ministry and the IDF, but the Defense Ministry did not approve the requests.
"This behavior shows complete disrespect for the residents of Judea and Samaria," said Dagan, "It cannot be that tens of thousands of drivers stand every morning at the checkpoints for hours, in addition to the traffic jams they will later encounter on their way to the center of the country. The Crossings Authority has already recommended this be fixed. The only thing standing between us and a reasonable way of life is the Defense Ministry's signature and budgeting. I greatly respect the Defense Minister, and I know he can solve the issue. I call on him with great respect but also with great pain, to end this saga, we will not be second-class citizens in the country."
A few days ago, the Samaria Regional Council submitted a petition to the High Court against the state for not paving the last part of the bypass road around Al-Lubban, about 20 kilometers south of Nablus (Shechem). Completion of the bypass road will allow the construction of a new crossing at Rantis with two inspection lanes on each side, making it easier for traffic to pass.
It is not only these crossing points that are in dire need of attention. In fact, according to Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi, many roads throughout Judea and Samaria have not been improved since 1967, or even since the Oslo Accords were signed in the mid 1990s. There is no overall infrastructure design for Judea and Samaria, responsibility for which is shared by both the Transportation and Defense Ministries.