Defense Minister Yisrael Katz addressed the stabbing attack in Shomron on Monday and stated that Prime Minister Netanyahu and he had instructed the IDF to prepare for a scenario in which the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatuses launch a terror attack.
Katz said: “I wish the victim of the stabbing attack in Shomron a speedy recovery. I commend the IDF for eliminating the terrorist.”
“Our policy in Yehuda and Shomron is clear — to pursue Palestinian terror with force, develop and strengthen Jewish communities, and maintain security stability.”
“Terror in Yehuda and Shomron is currently at its lowest level in decades, and we will take all necessary measures to prevent terror from raising its head again.”
“If there is a turning of the guns, and the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatuses and the bodies associated with them launch, or we know with certainty that they are about to launch, an October 7-style terror attack against IDF forces and Jewish communities — Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and I have instructed the IDF to prepare to launch an all-out war against PA leaders, its security apparatuses and associated bodies, and against all terror infrastructure in Yehuda and Shomron, in order to bring about their complete defeat quickly.”
“We will not allow a return to the reality of a prolonged intifada lasting for years, as happened in the past. Instead, we will launch an all-out campaign against the Palestinian Authority and every terror infrastructure in Yehuda and Shomron, including targeted eliminations of senior figures, evacuation of residents from the cities and villages from which terror activity is carried out, elimination of terrorists, destruction of all terror infrastructure in those locations, and the IDF remaining in the evacuated areas — exactly as we did in the security zones in Gaza and Lebanon, and as we also operated in the refugee camps in Jenin and northern Shomron.
“We will not allow a return to the reality of October 7, and we will ensure the security of Israel’s residents and communities everywhere.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
