The Biddu checkpoint
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg
Har Adar residents protest checkpoint reopening following attack
In wake of terror attack, settlement residents urge IDF not to allow Palestinian workers back until full investigation is carried out, and necessary changes made to security arrangements; 'My children's safety is more important to me than their livelihood,' says one resident.
Residents of the settlement Har Adar, where a terrorist killed a Border Policeman and two security guards last month, are worried about the eventual reopening of the Biddu checkpoint, where the attack took place.
The checkpoint has been closed since the attack, and there is currently no date yet for its reopening. Military officials said the checkpoint will only be reopened after work to improve its security infrastructure is completed.
GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Roni Numa is set to meet with Har Adar's security committee on Monday to discuss the reopening of the crossing and the changes to the security arrangements in the settlement following the attack.
The Biddu checkpoint (Photo: AP)
Har Adar residents plan to protest outside the local council and demand to increase security in the settlement.
The terrorist Nimer Jamal, from the nearby Beit Surik, had a permit to work in West Bank Jewish settlements. Over the past seven years, he worked for different families in Har Adar, and security guards in the settlement were familiar with him.
In the wake of the attack, in addition to the checkpoint being closed, the nearby villages of Beit Surik, Biddu and Qatana were put under military closure—which has yet to be lifted—while all work permits for Har Adar were revoked, and Palestinian workers were told they would have to ask for new permits when the checkpoint is reopened.
The attack's victims: Security guard Or Arish, Border Policeman Solomon Gavriya and security guard Youssef Ottman
However, some of Har Adar's residents are no longer interested in employing Palestinians.
"I don't plan on hiring them anymore," said Maya Daabul, a resident of Har Adar who employed a Palestinian cleaner. "There is no chance that now, after the attack, they'll come into my home. It's terrifying. Terrorism breeds fear in us. The rules of the game have changed. I can't forget."
Residents posting messages on Har Adar's WhatsApp group also expressed their concern. "The success of this terror attack will encourage additional attempts. The safety of my children is more important to me than their ability to make a living," wrote one resident. "Since the attacker did not fit the profile, it means anyone can be a potential terrorist."
An official in Har Adar's security committee elaborated further on the residents' fears, saying, "Residents are not willing to sweep the failings from this attack under the rug. They are not willing to open the checkpoint without first having an in-depth investigation and a serious discussion on the matter."
On the settlement's Facebook page, one resident wrote: "It is our duty towards our families to demand the Biddu checkpoint remains closed until all necessary steps are taken—an investigation, fortification and a security discussion."
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Unit said, "Work permits for the relatives of the terrorist have been frozen. As for the rest of the Palestinians who receive permits to work in Israel and Judea and Samaria, there is no change unless there is a security reason justifying a change."
