After five months, the IDF has decided to open the Jit checkpoint to Arab traffic starting tomorrow.
The checkpoint, which is one of the main exits from Nablus [Shechem], has been completely closed and secured by soldiers since the beginning of the war, as it served as an escape route for terrorists who left the city freely, carried out terrorist attacks and fled back to Nablus.
The questionable decision comes only a day and a half after a stabbing attack at the Yitzhar junction nearby, in which an IDF soldier was seriously wounded, and after a series of shooting attacks and other terrorist incidents that took place near Homesh, only a few kilometers away.
The decision to remove the checkpoint drew strong criticism from communities in the area, but also from the soldiers themselves who serve in the area and have secured the checkpoint to date. One of the commanders who has been serving in the area since October 7th, strongly criticized the decision this evening, saying, "It is unbelievable that we have given our lives since Oct. 7th, and they now they are willing to endanger us for the sake of the Palestinians’ convenience."
"From my military understanding and feeling, opening the checkpoint to Nablus tomorrow at the Jit junction, is asking for disaster, said the officer. Only two weeks ago, a shooting attack was carried out against soldiers of my battalion at a nearby checkpoint at the Deir Sharaf junction, which miraculously did not end in fatalities. A closure that is not hermetic and completely locked off, is by nature more dangerous, and under the auspices of the checkpoint is an "invitation" to terrorists to attack."
The officer added: "Only a few days ago we received a hot, tangible and immediate warning to carry out a deadly attack at the very junction that they want to open for passage to Nablus. We are at war, on October 7th most of the entrances to and exits from Nablus were closed. The state of war still exists and is still at its peak. Not only is the sector still hot, but recently the entire region has got more intense, which we can see in the scope of the attacks and in the operational warnings that reach us here on the ground."
"It is inconceivable that in honor of Ramadan, the lives of our soldiers will be endangered. We will continue to serve under all conditions and circumstances, but the minimum that is required is for the army to take greater precautions and not endanger us even in the slightest," he said.
Residents of the communities in the area already announced this evening that they will prevent the opening of the checkpoint with their own bodies. They called on the public to report to the area tomorrow morning to prevent any Arab vehicles from leaving Nablus.