[VIDEO & PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Less than 24 hours from the last fatal Islamic terror attack at Gush Etzion Junction, that claimed the life of Hadar Buchris HY”D, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited the site. They also got a bird’s eye view from overhead.

The officials also visited the Gush Etzion Brigade HQ. Mr. Netanyahu was briefed on the area and assessed the situation along with Ya’alon, IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Major-General Yair Golan, Central District Commander Major-General Roni Numeh, Yehuda and Shomron Division Commander Brigadier-General Lior Karmeli and Etzion Brigade Commander Colonel Roman Gofner. The Prime Minister later met with Gush Etzion Regional Council Chairman Davidi Perl, Efrat Local Council Chairman Oded Ravivi and Kiryat Arba local Council Chairman Malachi Levinger.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said “I would like to send condolences to the family of Hadar Buchris of blessed memory, who was murdered yesterday, to the Don family and to the families of those who were murdered. I am visiting here today, along with the Defense Minister, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Central District Commander and area commanders in order to step up our war against the terrorists.

“First of all, offensively, we are going everywhere. We are entering into villages, communities and homes and are carrying out widespread arrests. There is no restriction on the actions of the IDF and the security forces. On the contrary – there is full support and this is important. First of all, there are unlimited offensive operations. It must be understood that unlike Operation Defensive Shield, in which there were command centers, strongholds and thousands of armed men – and what is the situation today? Operation Defensive Shield was carried out in order to bring about for us this freedom of action. And this freedom of action exists and we are using it day and night in order to operate against concentrations or to foil plans, or against terrorists or weapons. And the result is, of course, that what we saw then, hundreds of dead in a year as a result of terrorists armed with explosive belts and other weapons – this we do not have, and we are doing everything so that this does not recur. But we must carry out additional actions against what there is.

“And therefore, in addition to reinforcing our units, adding to our forces and sending forces into villages and communities, we are carrying out additional operations; I can detail some of them. First of all, [we are] checking every Palestinian vehicle on the main roads. This is being done on the routes leading to the main roads. Secondly, localized solutions such as at Gush Etzion Junction, that is to say a local bypass of the junction in accordance with the recommendation of the security services. This is happening here. It is happening in other places, including on the bypass roads which we are working to implement. This will take more time, as opposed to the localized solutions. Third, the extensive revocation of work permits for the families of terrorists. Such a family is aware of the fact that that there is an extremist – or one who is about to carry out an attack – in its midst, and such a family has no right to work in the State of Israel. We are revoking it; this is important.

“Additional actions are also related to the problem that exists here. We have a meeting of those who wield knives, individual terrorists and Internet incitement and, therefore, we are also using various means to deal with the social networks. But it seems to me that the most important tool that we have is the perseverance, courage and determination to fight terrorism just as we have fought its various expressions over the past 100 years. This we have in abundance and with them we will be victorious once again.”

The government in under mounting pressure to find a solution to the current wave of Islamic terror that has been plaguing the country since erev Rosh Hashanah.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)