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The scene of the shooting outside the West Bank settlement of Eli, on Tuesday. Credit: Sraya Diament Published by Haaretz
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Israel’s 'response to terror is to strike it with force, and to build our country,' says statement from Prime Minister's Office

by Michael Hauser Tov for Haaretz
Jun 21, 2023 2:54 pm IDT

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government announced on Wednesday the immediate advancement of planning for 1,000 housing units in the settlement of Eli, near the site of Tuesday's deadly shooting attack in which four Israelis were killed.

In a statement from the Prime Minister's Office announcing the move, it said that the decision was reached by Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. "Our response to terror is to strike it with force, and to build our country," it said.

"We welcome the decision, but it is a drop in the ocean," said chairman of the Eli Settlement, Ariel Elmaliach in response to the announcement. "We call on the prime minister to advance a cabinet decision at the upcoming cabinet meeting this coming Sunday to make the settlement of Eli the first city in Binyamin," he added, referring to the Binyamin Regional Council which governs dozens of settlements in the West Bank.

The four Israelis killed in the attack were identified as 18-year-old Elisha Antman of Eli, 21-year-old Harel Masoud of Yad Binyamin, 17-year-old Nachman Mordof of Ahiya and 63-years-old Ofer Feierman of Eli.

According to a military source, the shooters, 26-years-old Mohand Shahada and 24-years-old Khaled Sabah, entered a restaurant in the gas station and killed three people. As they left, they killed another person.

An Israeli civilian at the gas station nearby manged to shoot and kill Shahada while Sabah escaped in a car and drove off toward the Tapuach settlement. He was located after two hours and killed by Israeli army forces, in a shooting that moderately wounded another Palestinian.

Shahada was a student member of a pro-Hamas group; he had been released from the Megiddo Prison two-and-a-half years ago. He was incarcerated at the same high security section together with Sabah after the two threw an explosive device in an open area near the Palestinian village of Ya'bad.

Following the attack, Hamas praised Shahada's actions but did not claim responsibility. Their spokesperson said that "the [shooting] in Eli is a response to Israel's crimes carried out [on Monday] at the Jenin refugee camp, and the aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The struggle won't stop until our people are free and independent."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued a statement calling on Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to "go on a broad military operation and resume the policy of targeted assassinations in the West Bank." He also demanded that the army "take down their buildings" and impose the death penalty on those convicted of terrorism against Israeli citizens.

Danny Danon, a relatively moderate Likud lawmaker, called for a military operation in the West Bank: "We demand a military operation in Judea and Samaria now. Not later. Now is the time to strike hard and fast," he wrote.

Later on Tuesday, Netanyahu said in a statement that "All options are on the table. We'll continue to fight against terror with all our strength, and we'll defeat it. […] Everyone who harmed us is either in the grave or in prison. It'll be the same in this case."

The Israeli cabinet approved a resolution on Sunday that would shorten the process of approving construction in West Bank Jewish settlements and give Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich the authority to approve one of the stages. The United States, in response, said it was “deeply troubled” by the plans.