Hundreds Daven at Kevarim of Elazar and Itamar

Some 500 Jews, accompanied by IDF soldiers, entered the village of Awarta, outside Shechem, on Wednesday night, in order to daven at the kevarim of several luminaries interred there – among them Elazar and Itamar, sons of Aharon Hakohen, and the shivim zekeinim who were the close confidantes of Moshe Rabbeinu. No significant security events were reported, and visitors left the area safely after a netz Shacharis minyan.

IDF soldiers overnight Wednesday seized weapons that were to be used in terror attacks. Soldiers, working with police, discovered weapons in several villages in the village of Khirbit Adir in the Binyamin region. Among the weapons was an M-16 rifle. The owner of the house was arrested and questioned on what the weapons were doing there.

In a statement, the army said that such weapons were used in terror attacks as well as for criminal activity, and that security forces were determined to seize all weapons that were being held illegally by all people, in order to better protect all Israelis and residents of Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, who are also under threat by terrorists and criminals.

Overnight Wednesday, security officials said they arrested 13 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.