Terror-Stricken Israelis Establish New Community After Palestinian Attack

The grieving community, which was struck by Palestinian terror on Friday, chose to respond in a Zionist fashion – by building up the Land of Israel.  

Hundreds of residents from Halamish (Neve Tsuf) gathered Sunday to erect a new community in memory of the three family members who were murdered in Friday night’s Palestinian terror attack in the Samaria community.

The new outpost was named “Yad Ahi” in memory of the three slain members of the Salomon family: Yosef, 70, his daughter Chaya, 46, and son Elad, 36.

Halamish residents also set up tents, tables and chairs to block the eastern road to the town that is used by Palestinians, in protest of the attack. Palestinian terrorist Omar al-Abed fatally stabbed the three family members and injured a fourth, Tova Salomon, 68, the mother, as the family gathered around the table for a festive Sabbath meal.

After the terror attack, Halamish leaders discussed plans for expanding the community with additional housing units, and creating territorial contiguity from the Salomon family’s home to the adjacent Jewish neighborhood of Tzofit.

The community leaders, who intend to discuss their construction proposals with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanded that the government finalize security measures for the community, which had been planned but are not completed, and that the eastern road leading up to Halamish be closed to Palestinian movement.

The road has been used more than once by Palestinian terrorists as an access point to Halamish.

Seven months before Friday’s attack, a Palestinian terrorist set 15 homes in Halamish on fire. He arrived at the community using the contested road.

 ‘We Will Continue to Build Our Land’

Speaking on Sunday at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem at the state memorial ceremony for Zionist pioneer Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that while memorial participants were physically in Jerusalem, “our hearts are in Modi’in, at the funeral of the members of the Salomon family,” who were being buried at the time.

“On Friday night we witnessed a heart-rending drama of vicious terrorism, the fruit of deep and unbridled Jew-hatred. We have been dealing with murderous terrorism for 100 years – and we will defeat it,” Netanyahu declared.

“The pain is deep but our roots in the land are no less deep. Terror will never defeat us. We will continue to strengthen our state; we will continue to build up our land,” he vowed.

By: JNS.org and United with Israel Staff