Israeli community leaders warn of potential Iranian-backed attack in Judea and Samaria similar to Oct 7

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Israeli community leaders in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank, increasingly warn of a potential Iranian-backed large-scale terror attack from the East similar to Hamas' invasion and massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

While Israelis tend to be divided on the political future of Judea and Samaria, the territory’s close geographic proximity has a potentially large impact on Israel's overall security.

In November, Israeli security uncovered and prevented a large-scale Iranian weapons smuggling operation in the West Bank. However, Yisrael Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council and head of the Binyamin Regional Council, warned that the danger is far from over.

"The shipment was intercepted, but how many shipments weren't?" Gantz asked.

He is particularly concerned about terrorists in Judea and Samaria potentially firing missiles at planes landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, which is located merely a few kilometers from the green line that separates Israel from the West Bank.

"Even a single missile that may have been successfully smuggled into the country, which we are unaware of and is hidden in someone's home, is enough to put every plane landing at Ben Gurion Airport at risk," Gantz warned.

While Israeli intelligence has prevented the vast majority of terrorist attacks, Gantz stresses that one single terrorist attack can have devastating consequences for the Jewish state.

"The area must be cleared to protect the lives of Israeli citizens. We need to achieve 100 percent certainty – not 90 percent, not 95 percent. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again as we did on October 7," Gantz assessed.

The Iranian regime has, over the years, invested considerable resources in establishing a “ring of fire” consisting of Iranian-backed terrorist militias along the borders of Israel. As Tehran’s main proxies – Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – have been seriously degraded in the past year, the ayatollah regime is increasingly trying to ignite Judea and Samaria as a new terror front against Israel by smuggling weapons to local terrorist cells.

In a letter sent to the Israeli Security Cabinet on Sunday, local Israeli council leaders urged the Israeli government and authorities to increase its focus on Judea and Samaria as a growing terror front due to Tehran’s involvement.

"Unfortunately, Iran's entrenchment in Judea and Samaria has tangible consequences, evident in various attacks with severe outcomes and numerous foiled attempts," the letter stated.

"The security situation in Judea and Samaria is not a matter of fate but the result of policies initiated under the Oslo Accords – it is within your power to change this, and it is your duty to do so," the council leaders urged.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) recently sent security forces to fight terrorist cells in Jenin, a town in northern Samaria, which has become a hotbed of anti-Israel terrorism.

However, local Israeli council leaders have continued to express distrust of the PA.

"It doesn't make sense to leave the issue of our security in the hands of the Palestinian Authority," the local leaders noted in their letter.

"On one hand, it supposedly fights terrorism, but on the other, it funds terrorism and pays money to terrorists. To eliminate terrorism, we need to fight it ourselves – not rely on the Palestinian police, which isn't truly a police force but rather a fully armed army, trained in Afghanistan for territorial conquest," it warned.

In September, the IDF and Israeli security agencies expanded counter-terrorism operations against local terrorist cells in the Jenin area. These operations are designed to ultimately prevent an Oct. 7-style attack on the Jewish state from Judea and Samaria.