JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel Defense Forces (IDF) severely limited travel in and out of the West Bank city of Nablus (biblical Shechem) after an Israeli soldier was shot and killed Tuesday. A group called the “Den of Lions” claimed responsibility for the drive-by shooting of 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Ido Baruch in Shavei Shomron, near Nablus.
The IDF is searching for Baruch’s killer, and Jerusalem-area security staff continue to look for the killer of 18-year-old border policewoman Noa Lazar, who died on Saturday. A series of attacks against Israelis has caused the deaths of 19 people in the past six months, causing the military to conduct nightly raids in the northern West Bank.
The Den of Lions issued a warning statement that further violence may be ahead. It read, “We say to the settlers besieging the city of Nablus from all directions, today we will see who will besiege them.”
Jewish Israelis commemorating the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) this week are upset with the government’s inability to contain the violence, which is especially intense near Shechem, the site of Joseph’s Tomb.
Israel National News reports one Jewish group issued a statement reading, “It’s very unfortunate the minister of defense waited for blood to be spilled before he would order the army to do basic operations which were needed beforehand. We call on the security establishment to change direction, to close Shechem, which over the past years has turned into a wasp’s nest until the IDF launches an expansive military operation to clean out the terror nests in Shechem.”
More than 100 Palestinians have also died in recent months, many of them protesting the Israeli presence in their neighborhoods. A 12-year-old boy was killed during protests earlier this week.
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