Three years after the attack in which two terrorists from the village of Azzun tried to murder Ayala Shapira, a new road was built connecting Azzun and Wadi Kana and making it easier for Palestinian Arabs to pass between the villages.
In 2014, when she was just 11, Ayala was on her way home in her father's car when terrorists threw a firebomb at the car near Maale Shomron. Though her life was spared, Ayala suffered severe burns to her body, and to this day has to wear a burn mask due to her skin’s sensitivity to sunlight.
On Wednesday, the residents of the community of Elmatan, where Shapira lives, decided to protest against the Coordination and Liaison Administration, which was responsible for building the new dangerous road.
"If the terrorists who tried to kill Ayala reached the area by foot, now they can comfortably come with their vehicle," the residents said.
"We will not accept this. The terrorists will not receive a convenient road as a reward for terror, and the residents of Elmatan, headed by Ayala and her parents, will stay in the spot where the attack took place until this road is destroyed," they stressed.
On Thursday, one night after demonstrating with her family near the new road, Ayala will undergo another operation - one of many she has had in order to deal with the many injuries she suffered as a result of the 2014 attack.
Earlier this year, she and her mother were guests of the European Parliament pro-Judea and Samaria lobby, in a meeting arranged by Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. Ayala received a standing ovation for her speech.