During a Knesset subcommittee meeting on Judea and Samaria held Thursday morning, an IDF representative revealed that the political leadership had instructed the army to allow Israeli Arabs to enter Areas A in Jenin and Tulkarm, citing the goal of strengthening the local Palestinian economy.
The representative added that a weekly situational assessment is conducted with the intention of encouraging Israeli Arabs to enter Palestinian Authority-controlled territories. According to him, the directive from the Justice Ministry stipulates that the army’s general order prohibiting Israelis from entering Area A applies only to Jewish citizens.
The disclosure sparked an immediate uproar among Knesset members and public representatives present at the session. MK Tzvi Sukkot, who initiated the discussion, condemned the policy, calling it unacceptable. “We will not tolerate a situation in which terror is effectively rewarded, especially through a violation of the law. This requires clarification,” he said.
Sukkot further argued, “The reality in which Israel creates areas where only Arabs enjoy freedom of movement based on a racist policy is a distorted situation that must be corrected. We will not accept an apartheid-like policy in Judea and Samaria, nor the rewarding of terror. It is shocking to claim that the state is implementing selective and discriminatory enforcement to boost the Palestinian economy, which actively supports and encourages terrorism. This policy cannot continue and will not survive a High Court challenge. We must trace the source of these directives and ensure that the Oslo framework no longer dictates our actions.”
Yonatan Kuznitz, Head of the Karnei Shomron Regional Council, also criticized the policy. “Allowing Israeli Arab citizens to enter Areas A in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya is both a security and economic disgrace, a direct continuation of the October 6 outlook. The funds flowing there directly fuel terrorist infrastructures. As a council head, I witness residents in Karnei Shomron and surrounding areas spending hours in traffic jams at the Eliyahu Crossing and other checkpoints, which become security hazards. We demand an immediate policy change and a halt to selective enforcement. It is time to uphold the law and stop supplying economic oxygen to terror operatives.”