Oded Revivi, mayor of Efrat, spoke to Israel National News – Arutz Sheva about how the days of war are being felt in Efrat and in all of Judea and Samaria.
Mayor Revivi: “I think the feelings that we have in Judea and Samaria, in Efrat, are just like anywhere else in Israel. People are definitely worried about their loved ones being on the front line. People are definitely concerned about what happened on the 7th of October and want to make sure that such events don't re-occur in other places in Israel. We are facing a great challenge in trying to look after our residents, after our people, complying with all their needs and all their fears. There definitely are a lot of things to do, a lot of tasks to achieve, and a lot of residents are concerned and worried, and we need to look after their interests.”
Regarding comments made by the US Secretary of Defense about so-called settler violence, Mayor Revivi claims, “I don't know how to explain that this campaign has gone so bad. I don't know exactly who is standing behind this campaign. It’s definitely not based on facts. It's definitely not connected to what's happening in reality. We're trying to receive the official figures from the army and from the police, and they're nowhere near the levels of fear that these politicians come up with in their statements.”
He predicts that “the US Administration has to deal with its inner party challenges, and we have to remember the amount of power, the amount of ammunition, the amount of political support that they're giving the Israeli government to do what we believe needs to be done. There's absolutely no precedent to that happening by any US Administration in the past. In order not to get criticism that they are so supportive of Israel, they also need to try and calm down the criticism that they receive, and that's my interpretation of what's happening.”
On Sunday, Mayor Revivi sent a letter to the government, demanding that important security budgets be approved for the benefit of Judea and Samaria communities.
He concludes: “There's definitely a need to provide for security matters that we have in Judea and Samaria. We can't ignore these needs, and I don't think that because of political debates, we need to be treated badly. I think that's what's happening at the moment in Judea and Samaria is unfortunate, and it is probably one of the places that is more threatened. That's why the IDF and the government need to look after our interests.