After shooting, settler leader says checkpoint is death trap for commuters

Oded Revivi, head of the Efrat Local Council, says the checkpoint between southern Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank where this morning’s terror attack took place has become “a death trap” due to the traffic bottleneck it causes.

Many of Efrat’s residents commute to Jerusalem via the checkpoint every day for work.

“We are warning that the checkpoint has become a death trap because of the bottleneck it causes which endangers the residents who wait [in line] along the whole length of the road for too long, and the crowding [of vehicles on the road] which doesn’t provide for any solution during a tragic event,” says Revivi following the attack.

“The operational necessity of checks is clear. However, creating such a big traffic jam, which is a result of a lack of guards, a lack of inspection stations, and other issues, endangers lives and creates sitting targets for terrorists.

“It is horrifying to think what would happen if terrorists opened fire on a group of cars in the traffic jam, and the physical inability of emergency service vehicles to reach them. An immediate solution has to be created to save lives.”