‘A fence is not enough’: West Bank border residents fear October 7 repeat

Residents of Israel’s Sharon region on the border of the West Bank – known as Hasharon – have for years feared that a terrorist attack could be carried out against them by Palestinians just across the border, Walla reported. 

This fear has dramatically intensified since Hamas’ October 7 massacre in Israeli towns on the border of the Gaza Strip.

In response to concerns about terrorist attacks, local municipalities established a forum of 13 representatives from towns across the area, such as Rosh Ha’ayin, Gilboa, Megiddo, and Lev Hasharon.

The members of the forum recently addressed a letter to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and demanded a significant budget increase on behalf of the state for the residents' security and concern in the region.

Residents near West Bank demand proper security

"We do not intend to compromise on these issues," reads the appeal sent to Gallant. "We will not allow our settlements and residents to be denied the proper protection and security required for them in light of these threats."

Since the outbreak of the war against Hamas, residents of two towns in Hasharon – Bat Hefer and Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal – claimed in late December that they had been hearing drilling noises under their homes. While no terrorist tunnel infrastructure was found, the incident served as a reminder of the small distance between many towns and terrorist centers in the territories of the Palestinian Authority, such as Qalqilya and Tulkarm.

Knesset members Noor Shiri, Meir Cohen, and Simon Davidson from the Yesh Atid party toured the community of Bat Hefer last week alongside the head of another town in the Hasharon region – Emek Hefer. Regional Council Galit Shaul and other council members and residents of Emek Hefer and Bat Efer described the great security concern in their immediate area and their demand for a proper response from the state.

"In the north there is a border, in the south there is a border, yet here there is a line that I just don't know what to call," one of the members of the regional council shared with the members of the Knesset. 

The chairman of the local committees told the Knesset members that their main request is a security presence capable of combatting a large-scale infiltration from the West Bank – locals see the current barrier as an insufficient means of defense.  

"The barrier is not a means of protection and prevention of infiltration into the settlements," added the heads of the authorities in a letter sent to Gallant. "We further demand that the distance of local towns from the border line will not factor into how many resources will be provided," the letter added, as local leaders don’t want to create internal strife regarding the appropriation of security resources. 

Although IDF data shows that in the three months of the war, the number of arrests in the West Bank was equal to the entire year of 2022, the severe loss of trust in the system is well felt among Residents of Hasharon. "We know from October 7 that it is not enough to have only a wall," Galit Shaul, head of the Emek Hefer Regional Council, said in a conversation with Walla. "The barrier itself is not enough. We need more forces in the area, standby units, and weapons."

The security fence along the seam line has seen illegal entries go unhindered for many years, a problem that reached great public awareness following a wave of attacks that occurred two years ago by infiltrators from the West Bank. Therefore, a decision was made to establish a long security barrier, which includes a wall and technological means, as well as the establishment of the spatial battalion "Panther," which deals with the security of the West Bank border through patrols and ambushes. 

The IDF claims that due to the concentration of the effort, the number of infiltrators has been significantly reduced to several hundred per week – compared to tens of thousands before the policy change.

Despite all of the new technology and security measures, October 7 showed that the border could be breached in a large-scale attack. Even after the outbreak of war, there are still claims from local authorities about many breaches along the fence near the towns of Darom Hasharon and Kochav Yair-Zur Yigal. According to Yuval Arad, head of the Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal council, there are still eight loopholes near the settlement through which terrorists can infiltrate.

Another demand from Hasharon residents is establishing a restricted buffer zone between Israel and the West Bank. The forum added that numerous towns located close to the territories of the Palestinian Authority are not entitled to protection frameworks from the spatial divisions of the IDF, which they believe should be changed.

"There are settlements that are less than two kilometers from the fence," Shaul explained. "That means you can run from Tulkarm to them in a short time. A wall does not surround these settlements, they don't have a military police, they don't have weapons, they were removed from the list of settlements entitled to that."

Will Hasharon residents get the security they need?

Following the struggle of the local authorities, a decision was made in the government two weeks ago that the Interior Ministry will allocate NIS 50 million from its budget for an emergency and security budget for the local authorities along Hasharon. After the decision was initially welcomed and with great satisfaction, the legal advice of the Finance Ministry delayed the move because the authority to grant the budget rests only with the National Security Ministry.

In response to this, the heads of the authorities demanded Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara meet with them before taking legal proceedings. So far, the official requests from the heads of the authorities have yet to be heard. "Every day that the emergency budget is delayed - the ability of the authorities to prepare for an emergency is impaired," reads the appeal to AG Miara.

"The main effort of the IDF is countering terrorism, hitting terrorists and arresting wanted persons in the depths of Palestinian cities and villages to prevent attacks before they begin,” the response of the IDF spokesman reads. “The Central Command has been concentrating many efforts for the past two years in the West Bank border area with forces, technological defense components, and by erecting a wall and engineering obstacles. The forces operate in both overt and covert ways, carrying out offensive activities, proactive ambushes, patrols, and using means of collection and observation to improve the defense in the seam area.

“We emphasize that when new gaps are found in the seam fence, they are sealed immediately. IDF commanders are in continuous contact with relevant authorities and take seriously all the residents' reports, which are under continuous monitoring and review," the IDF statement continued. 

The Defense Ministry stated they are coordinating their response with the IDF spokesperson. "The government's decision was adopted unanimously by the government plenum. The delay in implementation is due to a legal opinion of the Ministry of Finance. On the recommendation of the Interior Ministry, the heads of the authorities turned to the Legal Advisor to the Government for her decision on the issue, " the Interior Ministry statement said.