Israeli security forces are investigating whether an AFP photographer had advance knowledge of last Friday morning’s terrorist attack near Yehuda Junction, outside Hebron, in which five Israelis were wounded, two critically.
The photographer, Hazem Bader, working for the French news agency AFP, was present during the prolonged gun battle between two Arab terrorists and IDF soldiers. His photographs captured the terrorists during the fighting, including while they were reloading their weapons, and subsequently photographed their bodies after Israeli forces killed them.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich directed the immediate demolition of illegal Arab structures along the road near the attack site.
On Sunday Israeli security forces launched a major operation in the Hebron area with Hebron and Halhul placed under closure and troops sent into the city to pursue suspects and target terror infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also directed the security establishment to prepare for the possibility of closing Judea and Samaria entirely.
Today, the Zionist response to this is that eight new settlement sites are being established in the Hebron Hills following a deadly terrorist attack over the weekend that killed IDF soldiers Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roitman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Soylam. Smotrich described the initiative as strengthening Jewish settlement alongside measures against illegal Arab construction. Recent enforcement actions included demolitions of unauthorized Arab structures near the attack site. Smotrich warned that a future government could halt settlement expansion and enable a Palestinian terrorist state.
AFSI Insight
More than military operations in response to terrorism are needed along with sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. The murder of two IDF soldiers is another stark reminder that temporary security measures cannot replace decisive political action. Israel must dismantle terrorist networks, eliminate illegal Arab construction that threatens its security and territorial control, and expand Jewish communities throughout the heartland of Israel. Establishing new settlements in the Hebron Hills is a step forward, but it must be part of a comprehensive national policy: extend Israeli sovereignty, repeal the Oslo Accords, reject the failed two-state agenda, and secure Israel’s historic homeland for future generations. Terrorism must never dictate Israel’s borders or determine the future of its land. The time for half-measures is over. Judea and Samaria are the heartland of the Jewish homeland—not bargaining chips. Israeli sovereignty is the path to security, stability, and a secure future for Israel.