IDF to Sharpen Message Against Entering Area A

Over the weekend, there were two incidents of Israelis entering Area A, under Palestinian Authority civil and security control. In the first incident, an Israeli accidentally entered Jenin, located near the Green Line, while in the second, an Israeli family entered the village of Tubas, located 14 km northeast of Shechem. In both case the Israelis were detained by PA police and transferred to Israeli authorities.

The IDF said in a statement that it would sharpen its message against entering Area A and stress the need for more vigilance by Israelis, while beefing up methods to prevent the accidental entry of Israelis into the PA-controlled areas. Entering Area A without authorization is extremely dangerous, officials stressed.

IDF soldiers on Motzoei Shabbos impounded a vehicle driven by Arabs that contained a quantity of illegal weapons. The vehicle was stopped at the entrance of the Israeli Arab town of Jaljulye, which has featured prominently as a site for organizing terror cells in recent months. Machine guns, stun grenades and other items were confiscated, and the driver was arrested. The driver of the vehicle was an Israeli from the town of Kiryat Ono. Police are investigating to determine if the weapons were stolen from the IDF.

Overnight Motzoei Shabbos, security officials said they arrested six wanted security suspects in other areas in Yehudah and Shomron. The suspects were wanted for participating in rioting and throwing stones and firebombs that endangered Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Several of the suspects were also charged with belonging to Hamas. All were being questioned on their activities by security forces.