Hundreds of hikers expected to arrive tomorrow at the site of the attack, IDF source: 'It is not coordinated'
Groups of hikers in Judea and Samaria are planning to arrive tomorrow in the area of the village of Til, where a terror attack occurred last week in which Binyahu Melet was murdered and Major Yuval Ezra fell. As of now, the hikes have not been coordinated with the security forces, and the IDF clarifies that entry into Area A is dangerous. The organizers: Terror will not prevent us from continuing to arrive.
On Friday morning, the 'Metaylei David ve-Achikam' group set out from Har Bracha towards the end point of their hike in the Mitzpe Yishai neighborhood in the settlement of Kedumim. The hike was not coordinated through the accepted channels with the IDF, although as revealed on Ynet, the army knew about the hike indirectly through Havat Gilad. Near the village of Til, Palestinians began throwing stones at the hikers, and the incident ended in a terror attack in which Binyahu Melet was murdered and Major Yuval Ezra fell.
Following the attack, several hikes will be held tomorrow morning in the area, and according to the organizers, the response is high and hundreds of people are expected to arrive. This time, the organizers intend to request permission from the army to secure the hikes, but at least at this stage, the hikes are not coordinated or approved. The IDF is preparing for the fact that hikes will take place tomorrow in the Havat Gilad and Til village area, in an attempt to ensure they pass without exceptional incidents. The message of the organizers is that no terror incident will prevent the continuation of the hikes.
'The hike in question was not approved through the accepted channels with the IDF,' said a military source. 'The IDF has contacted its organizers for the benefit of optimal preparation and is in a state of readiness for broad defense in the sector. We emphasize that the hike passes through Areas A and B, and entry into Area A is dangerous and prohibited by law.'
Groups of hikers in Judea and Samaria have gained significant momentum in recent years. The 'David ve-Achikam' hiking group, for example, was established after the attack that took place in Nahal Telem in December 2008, in which David Rubin and Achikam Amihai were murdered. The organization's slogan is: 'Where the Jewish hiker passes, there the Jewish border will pass.'
Dr. Nadav Frenkel from the Kfar Etzion Field School, who has been leading groups in Judea and Samaria for 17 years, notes the change: 'During the Second Intifada, people were afraid to go hiking in the Chariton Cave; today they go all over the country. For us, these hikes are a way to absorb our heritage, just as one visits the Herodium fortress, one goes to ancient Beitar and the Jewish settlement in Hebron.'
Until the war, the army allowed specific and focused entries into Area A, including to the Church of the Nativity or to several points in the city of Jericho. However, since the beginning of the war, the IDF does not grant permission for Area A, while it does grant permissions to hiking groups for Area B. The law does not determine that it is a criminal offense to hike in Area B, but the responsibility rests with the hiker.
