In this morning’s (Monday) shooting attack, two assailants opened fire from a passing vehicle at a bus and a car on Route 55 near Al-Funduq, between Karnei Shomron and Kedumim. They murdered three people and injured five others, who were evacuated for medical treatment at Meir Hospital. Security forces are currently conducting a manhunt for the attackers, who are believed to have fled to a Palestinian village near Funduq. A military closure has been imposed on the area, and roads have been blocked.
Calls to End Cooperation with the Palestinian Authority
The political system responded to the attack in various ways, from calls to stop relying on the Palestinian Authority’s security mechanisms to expressions of solidarity and promises to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a resident of Kedumim, wrote on his X account: “The flawed concept is still here, and it costs precious blood. The terror in Judea and Samaria, and the terror from Gaza and Iran, are the same terror – and it must be decisively defeated. Those who rely on the Palestinian Authority to protect Israeli citizens wake up to mornings like this, where terrorists slaughter Jewish residents again. Funduq, Nablus, and Jenin need to look like Jabalia so that Kfar Saba won’t become Kfar Gaza. I demand that the Prime Minister convene an urgent Cabinet meeting today to discuss changing the approach and truly eradicating terror in Judea and Samaria.”
Yair Lapid: This concept is yours
In response, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid wrote: “You are the government. You are responsible. This concept is yours. It was yours on October 7th. It has been yours for the last 20 years. You are the ones leading Israel from disaster to disaster, and then you whine as if you have no connection to it.”
The Head of the Samaria Regional Council stated: “I say clearly to our barbaric enemies and the entire world – we will never break. The people of Israel will prevail, and we will grow stronger. Settlement in Samaria will be built up even more. We demand that the government and senior IDF command abandon their reliance on the Palestinian Authority, confiscate all illegal weapons, and start fighting Abu Mazen, who is orchestrating this terror against us. The blood of our brothers on this road cries out, and these attacks can be prevented. We demand security.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also supported the position that security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority should end: “I send my deepest condolences and share the heavy sorrow of the families of those murdered in this terrible attack near Kedumim. I pray, along with all of Israel, for the recovery of the injured. My stance is clear and well-known: we must stop with the notion that there is a partner. The Palestinian Authority supports terror, and all cooperation with it must cease. We need to set up as many checkpoints as possible and close roads. The settlers’ right to life outweighs the right to freedom of movement for Palestinian residents. I hope that this time my stance will be accepted in the Cabinet, unlike in the past. Those who seek to stop the war in Gaza will get a war in Judea and Samaria.”
MK Avichai Boaron shared: “A very difficult morning. We must change the approach in Judea and Samaria, which means stopping reliance on the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority must be dismantled, and full security control must be taken over all activities in Judea and Samaria.”
Lt. Col. (res.) Yigal Brand, CEO of the World Betar Movement, said that as a resident of Samaria, he witnesses daily the danger of granting freedom of movement to Arabs. “This morning’s attack once again proves that our enemies are not seeking coexistence but the murder of Jews. The State of Israel must completely seal off Arab villages and restrict the movement of their residents. Roads must be safe for Jews only, without compromise or external considerations.”
MKs Edelstein, Rothman, and Sivan Har Melech issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to end security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority: “This morning’s severe attack is a reminder to the heads of the security system that only the IDF can and must fight the terror hubs in Judea and Samaria. The failed attempt to let the Palestinian Authority fight in our stead leads only to one outcome – the raising of the snake’s head and the spilling of Jewish blood. We call on the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff to come to their senses and instruct the security forces to act decisively to eliminate all terror hubs in Judea and Samaria and not allow the flawed concept to persist.”
Katz and Netanyahu: “Those Who Follow Hamas’s Path Will Pay a Heavy Price”
Defense Minister Israel Katz responded strongly to the attack, promising:
“Those who follow Hamas’s path in Gaza and sponsor murder and harm to Jews will pay a heavy price. I have instructed the IDF to act decisively against any location the murderers’ tracks lead to.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences and promised to settle accounts with the attackers: “My wife and I send our heartfelt condolences to the families of the three murdered in this terrible attack this morning and wish a full recovery to the injured. We will reach the vile murderers and settle accounts with them and all those who assisted them. No one will go unpunished.”
We Will Never Break
The Head of the Samaria Regional Council declared at the scene of the attack:
“I say clearly to our barbaric enemies and the entire world – we will never break. The people of Israel will prevail, and we will grow stronger. Settlement in Samaria will be built up even more. We demand that the government and senior IDF command abandon their reliance on the Palestinian Authority, confiscate all illegal weapons, and start fighting Abu Mazen, who is orchestrating this terror against us. The blood of our brothers on this road cries out, and these attacks can be prevented. We demand security.”
