Judea and Samaria: IDF Rounding Up Jews' Weapons
by Gil Ronen
A7News 06 December, 2007

The IDF is conducting a large scale operation to confiscate weapons from the
Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, according to Channel 10 TV. The
purpose of the operation is described as "putting the settlers' gun permits
in order."

The security coordinators of the communities in Samaria have been summoned
to a meeting with IDF officers Thursday, and community leaders are convinced
that the IDF intends to collect many of the weapons in the Jewish
communities in Judea and Samaria.

Hillel Reinus of Yitzhar said: "I have no idea who is giving the order, it
seems to be coming from up high, but they've decided to take the weapons
away from everyone." Another resident of the community, Yigal Amitai,
added, "They are abandoning citizens, it is an irresponsibile act, but
everything pales compared to reality."

'This amounts to making the settlers fair game'

MK Aryeh Eldad (NU/NRP) wrote a letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak
following the report, saying, "Army representatives have recently informed
the military security coordinators that they intend to collect most of the
weapons which the residents of Judea and Samaria use for self-defense. When
a move such as this is made along with the release of hundreds of
terrorists, the deployment of Palestinian policemen in Shechem (three of
whom were involved in the murder of Ido Zoldan) and the arming of these
policemen with weapons, ammunition and armored personnel carriers, this
amounts to making the settlers fair game and sending the terror
organizations a clear message that they may murder Jews."

"When all this is done against the backdrop of your announcement that you
are joining the 'expulsion/compensation' plan, this amounts to blackmail.
You are trying to encourage Jews to run away from Judea and Samaria, and in
order to prod them along you are taking away their weapons and urging
terrorists to attack them," he wrote.

"With this letter," Eldad concluded, "I wish to inform you that the settlers
of Judea and Samaria will hold you personally responsible for any casualties
among the Jews in Judea and Samaria from now on, unless you immediately put
an end to the process of collecting the settlers' weapons."