Residents of Beitar Ilit on Sunday night conducted a protest demanding greater security on the road that leads to the town. Residents drove out onto the road in a convoy, heading towards the Hussan Junction, which has been the site of many rock throwing attacks in recent years.
Residents said that it has gotten to the point that they are afraid to drive past the Arab villages in the area of the junction, because they have been attacked so many times. They demanded that the IDF set up a command center near the junction, ensuring a regular presence to protect drivers.
Beitar Ilit officials said that they have, in recent weeks, called for emergency army assistance numerous times as Arabs in the area rioted and threw rocks at residents' vehicles. The officials asked the army to recognize the situation as a “security emergency,” and to deal with it accordingly.
In light of the situation, police and city officials this week issued an alert to residents to stop shopping and doing business in the Arab village of Hussan. Doing so, the officials said, endangered the residents, turning them into potential victims of kidnappings and terror incidents.