From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Gantz: IDF doesn’t intend to impact Palestinians’ lives in hunt for fugitives
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz warns Palestinian terror groups not to conduct attacks ahead of the Yom Kippur holiday, during a visit to the West Bank to meet with IDF chief Aviv Kohavi and other top officers involved in the search for two Palestinian fugitives, who have been on the run since escaping prison last week.
“Security forces are spread out and prepared to defend the citizens of Israel against any threat,” Gantz says. “If terror organizations try to raise their heads, we will take care to knock them down. This is true for the West Bank and for the Gaza Strip,” he adds.
Recent days have seen an uptick in violence from the Gaza Strip, with five rockets being fired from the enclave over the course of the past week, as well as a stabbing attack in Jerusalem that left two men moderately wounded and a thwarted stabbing in the central West Bank.
The defense minister says that while the military is working to find the fugitives and to protect Israeli civilians, it does not intend to unduly impose on the West Bank’s Palestinian population.
“Israel has no intention of harming the daily routines of Palestinians and we are ready to bring economic and humanitarian concessions and to strengthen the coordination with the Palestinian Authority,” he says.
The Times of Israel Community.