"They will not stop us": Following the terror attack at Havat Gilad - hundreds of settlers plan to arrive in the area

Following the severe terror attack in the area of Havat Gilad and the loss of Major Yuval Ezra and Havat Gilad rapid response team member Banyahu Malet, of blessed memory, this past weekend, a broad initiative is being organized by hiking groups from all over the country, alongside residents of Judea and Samaria, to hold a series of extensive hikes as early as this coming Friday in the area.

According to the organizers, the public response is particularly high and hundreds of participants are expected to arrive. In the coming day, the organizers intend to contact military and security officials in order to receive the necessary permits for coordinating and securing the hikes in the area.

Those close to the organizers emphasize that the goal of the step is not to create friction or confrontations with the Palestinian population, but a clear statement of adding presence on the ground. From their perspective, the central message is that no terror event will cause the cessation of hikes or harm the way of life in Judea and Samaria.

Knesset Member Amit Halevi (Likud), who is in contact with the hiking groups and organizers, addressed the initiative and also referred to the strategic perception required in his opinion in the area:

"In this government, led by Minister Bezalel Smotrich, we have made many important changes in Area C, but the division between A, B, and C is based on the bloody deceitful Oslo Accords and we must change the approach. To build, to settle, and to hike also in Areas A and B. These spaces are currently used as a training camp for terror and we must demilitarize them in practice through presence and settlement and dismantle the threat named the Palestinian Authority."