An Israeli military source reported on Thursday morning that soldiers intensified their presence in the West Bank fearing further terrorist attacks carried out by extremist settlers against Palestinian residents, in an attempt to foil the disengagement plan.
The military procedures were carried out after a West Bank settler, currently present in Neveh Dikalim settlement in the Gaza Strip hinted out that a third terrorist attack might be carried out on Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, four Palestinian workers were killed, another was injured, after a settler identified as Asher Weisgan, 38, grabbed the gun of a security guard and opened fire at the workers in Shiloh settlement, south of the Wets Bank city of Nablus.
The four Palestinian killed in the terrorist attack were identified as Mohammad Mansour, 45, from Kafer Qaleel village, Bassam Tawafsha, 27, from Sinjil, Usama Mousa Twafsha, 33, from Sinjil, and Khaleel Walweel, 40 from Qalqilia.
Dr. Wael Qa’dan, head of the Emergency Department at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that Israeli soldiers barred the Palestinian ambulances from arriving at the scene of the attack.
Israeli security officials said that extremists might carry attacks against Arab residents of Israel, and Palestinians in the occupied territories.ÂÂ
Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the extremist settlers and leader of the outlawed Kach movement, said that the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon “left no other choice†to the Israelis, referring to disengagements and ways to foil it.
The Israeli security services, Shabak, said that Weisgin was not among the list of extremist settlers “monitored†by the Israeli security. ÂÂ
Also, an Israeli source reported that Weisgin was not a member of the outlawed Kach terrorist movement, but such attacks should have been expected while Israel is evacuating the settlements.
Meretz member of Knesset, Roman Bronfman, said that the terrorist attack carried out on Wednesday proves that Israel should withdraw from the West Bank as well, and evacuate all of the settlers before “insanity starts controlling Israelâ€Â.ÂÂ
Also, Labor MK Ephraim Sneh said that the Shelo terrorist attack is a warning and an indicator to what might happen in the surrounding settlements.
Sneh demanded the army to impose curfew over the settlements were the assailants reside.
Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs, Ophir Pines-Paz, said that “those who were talking about Palestinian fire during pullout, were met by a terrorist attack carried out by a Jew less than two week after the Shfa-Amr terrorist attack.
“Such attacks should make the Israeli security reconsider its way of dealing with Israeli extremistsâ€Â, Pines-Paz said.
