The plan to build a barracks in Huwara is so offensive OpEd from the Globes

“Globes” was the first to report the IDF plan to build a military base in Huwara.<br><br>**The news of the plan sparked a heated debate. Many people demanded that the government approve the decision and many people criticized it as outrageous and an unnecessary provocation.**<br><br>It began with a fake news item: the Huwara level crossing is about to be closed, and the residents of the settlements that were built beyond the Green Line across the highway are doomed to be trapped forever. Instead, the level crossing is to be diverted into a brand new side road that will be built along the highway. Not just any road, but a road exclusively for the Israelis.<br><br>The storm blew over, and then the decision was made, without any fanfare, to leave the level crossing on the main road. You have to hand it to the security forces: after all the commotion and the anonymous threats, they remained steadfast in their decision to prohibit the settlers from crossing the road. After all, this was not the first time they had clashed with the residents of the territories, even when the level of tension was much lower.<br><br>This time, however, the level crossing was not the only issue. The new government that was sworn in at the end of last year had an alternative solution for the settlers: reimbursements for the cost of driving through Huwara, which would also alleviate them of the burden of confronting the locals. The solution was born out of a bitter realization, as OpEd in “Walla” noted: “It is better to pay the settlers so that they will not take revenge on the residents of Huwara, than to pay reimbursements to the residents of Huwara, who are facing the settlers’ revenge offensive.”<br><br>Once again, the local residents had been abandoned of their own free will and handed over to the settlers who had been taking revenge on them for years. The events of October 7, in OpEd in “Walla” noted: “It is better to pay the settlers so that they will not take revenge on the residents of Huwara, than to pay reimbursements to the residents of Huwara, who are facing the settlers’ revenge offensive.”<br><br>Once again, the local residents had been abandoned of their own free will and handed over to the settlers who had been taking revenge on them for years. The events of October 7 should have been a turning point. A brutal and violent attack, that was meant to intimidate and humiliate, and was considered legitimate by the premier, his ministers, the Knesset members and the mayors of the territories. But Israel’s decision-makers did not draw any conclusions. <br><br>The attack in Huwara was an opportunity to prove that Israel was not satisfied with mere words. It could have decided to build a police station, a new school or homes for a hundred families who had been displaced by the violence. It could have decided to build a road that would serve both the settlers and the residents, as happens in the rest of the country. <br><br>The events of October 7 and their aftermath were beyond anything anyone could have imagined. The sight of the burned cars and the buildings, the horrible stories of the people who were attacked and burned alive, the families who were left with nothing, the suffering of the people who were wounded and the fear of the next attack, were all etched into the collective memory, like the face of 20-year-old Khadri Marai, who was left with burns over 50% of his body, and like that of 16-year-old Diaa Marai. <br><br>But this was not enough. <br><br>Instead of a police station, a new school or a road, the OpEd in “Walla” noted : “It is better to pay the settlers so that they will not take revenge on the residents of Huwara, than to pay reimbursements to the residents of Huwara, who are facing the settlers’ revenge offensive.”<br><br>Once again, the local residents had been abandoned of their own free will and handed over to the settlers who had been taking revenge on them for years. The events of October 7 should have been a turning point. OpEd in “Walla” noted: “It is better to pay the settlers so that they will not take revenge on the residents of Huwara, than to pay reimbursements to the residents of Huwara, who are facing the settlers’ revenge offensive.”<br><br>Once again, the local residents had been abandoned of their own free will and handed over to the settlers who had been taking revenge on them for years. The events of October 7 should have been a turning point. A brutal and violent attack, that was meant to intimidate and humiliate, and was considered legitimate by the premier, his ministers, the Knesset members and the mayors of the territories. But Israel’s decision-makers did not draw any conclusions of October 7 should have been a turning point. A brutal and violent attack, that was meant to intimidate and humiliate, and was considered legitimate by the premier, his ministers, the Knesset members and the mayors of the territories. But Israel’s decision-makers did not draw any conclusions. <br><br>The attack in Huwara was an opportunity to prove that Israel was not satisfied with mere words. It could have decided to build a police station, a new school or homes for a hundred families who had been displaced by the violence. It could have decided to build a road that would serve both the settlers and the residents, as happens in the rest of the country. <br><br>The events of October 7 and their aftermath were beyond anything anyone could have imagined. The sight of the burned cars and the buildings, the horrible stories of the people who were attacked and burned alive, the families who were left with nothing, the suffering of the people who were wounded and the fear of the next attack, were all etched into the collective memory, like the face of 20-year-old Khadri Marai, who was left with burns over 50% of his body, and like that of 16-year-old Diaa Marai. <br><br>But this was not enough. <br><br>Instead of a police station, a new school or a road, the government decided to build an exclusively Jewish road; it was a hostile construction that was intended to separate the residents from the highway. What would happen to them on this road, with no exit for kilometers? What would happen to them if they had an accident, or if they suffered a serious medical emergency? It did not matter. <br><br>What did matter were the opinions of the settlers. What did matter was the empty, hollow announcement of the defense minister, that he had instructed the IDF to build a bypass road for Huwara, in order to rectify the suffering of the settlers and reduce the friction between them and the residents. The announcement served as the final nail in the coffin, and the residents realized that they were about to be thrown to the mercy of the settlers, who had been taking revenge on them for years. <br><br>The IDF announcement that followed was the cherry on top of the whipped cream. After all, the residents themselves had demanded the construction of a bypass road, but they had imagined a road that would serve everyone, and not one that would serve as a tool of humiliation and divide between the residents and the settlers. For years, they had been limited to the right-hand lane, forbidden from entering the settlements and threatened with fines and imprisonment or worse, if they dared to enter a Jewish settlement or city. <br><br>It is true that the bypass road for Huwara is just OpEd in “Walla” noted: “It is better to pay the settlers so that they will not take revenge on the residents of Huwara, than to pay reimbursements to the residents of Huwara, who are facing the settlers’ revenge offensive.”<br><br>Once again, the local residents had been abandoned of their own free will and handed over to the settlers who had been taking revenge on them for years. The events of October 7 should have been a turning point. A brutal and violent attack, that was meant to intimidate and humiliate, and was considered legitimate by the premier, his ministers, the Knesset members and the mayors of the territories. But Israel’s decision-makers did not draw any conclusions. <br><br>The attack in Huwara was an opportunity to prove that Israel was not satisfied with mere words. It could have decided to build a police station, a new school or homes for a hundred families who had been displaced by the violence. It could have decided to build a road that would serve both the settlers and the residents, as happens in the rest of the country. <br><br>The events of October 7 and their aftermath were beyond anything anyone could have imagined. The sight of the burned cars and the buildings, the horrible stories of the people who were attacked and burned alive, the families who were left with nothing, the suffering of the people who were wounded and the fear of the next attack, were all etched into the collective memory, like the face of 20-year-old Khadri Marai, who was left with burns over 50% of his body, and like that of 16-year-old Diaa Marai. <br><br>But this was not enough. <br><br>Instead of a police station, a new school or a road, the government decided to build an exclusively Jewish road; it was a hostile construction that was intended to separate the residents from the highway. What would happen to them on this road, with no exit for kilometers? What would happen to them if they had an accident, or if they suffered a serious medical emergency? It did not matter. <br><br>What did matter were the opinions of the settlers. What did matter was the empty, hollow announcement of the defense minister, that he had instructed the IDF to build a bypass road for Huwara, in order to rectify the suffering of the settlers and reduce the friction between them and the residents. The