JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site of the deadly attack on an Israeli couple and ordered the deployment of security cameras on all West Bank roads.
Netanyahu, accompanied by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and the military’s chief of staff, Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, toured the site on Tuesday near the West Bank settlement of Itamar before holding a security discussion with local commanders.
“The focus of this visit is active defense along the roads,” Netanyahu said following the meeting. “A significant portion of the attacks are taking place along main roads, and we have agreed here on a very serious plan in which we will deploy ground and aerial cameras on all roads in Judea and Samaria, with command and control centers, communication centers and fast response times.
“This change can significantly enhance our ability to thwart such attacks and of course to locate the perpetrators. This is a very, very important element in restoring security.”
Netanyahu called on West Bank leaders “to act responsibly, to be precise. We are in an ongoing struggle. Such a struggle does not require harsh criticism, it requires a lot of strength, a resolute attitude, much composure and thoroughness – this is what we are doing.”
The prime minister also announced that he has called for an investigation of the Palestinian shopkeepers who allegedly spit at and kicked a bleeding stabbing victim, Adele Bennett, in the Old City of Jerusalem as she called for help. Her husband, Aharon, and a second man, Rabbi Nehemia Lavi, were killed in the Oct. 3 attack.
“I asked that these people be investigated, prosecuted and their stores closed according to law,” Netanyahu said.
The visit to the West Bank came hours after thousands of right-wing protesters rallied outside of the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem on Monday night calling for increased security in the West Bank and Jerusalem in the wake of recent terror attacks. The protesters also called for new settlements to be set up in the West Bank in response to the attacks.
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