Following the terrorist attack in Emanuel last Chanukah,
every time Council Head Rabbi Issachar Frankentahl tried to
point out areas of negligence in guarding the Samarian town,
IDF officials dismissed his suggestions offhand and told him
to allow the army to handle the matter without outside
interference.
Rabbi Frankentahl made no effort to hide his concerns. The
previous attack had a major impact on Emanuel residents,
altering their traveling habits and upsetting the sense of
relative safety they once felt.
The first 15 months of the Intifadah left Emanuel residents
virtually untouched by the violence, as if terrorist
organizations had overlooked the Emanuel sector. Following
last week's severe attack public attention again focused on
the town.
"I was concerned over the possibility of another serious
incident," Rabbi Frankentahl told Yated Ne'eman.
"[Following] the previous incident people thought it was just
a problem of armoring the buses and focused their attention
only on this. I warned that there was a general problem
concerning the protection of the settlement, but the army
told me, `Let us take care of the matter by ourselves. You
can count on us.' I offered numerous suggestions, but they
would not listen."
One of the Local Council Head's suggestions was to move the
main gate several miles forward in order to buttress security
at the site of the first attack, later the site of the second
attack as well. His request was denied. Neither did the army
honor his demand to lay bare the hilltop where the terrorists
launched the first massacre. "There is a legal problem
involved in removing olive trees," IDF officials said,
explaining why only a few bushes were cleared.
"I admit I don't understand military matters," Rabbi
Frankentahl lamented. "All of my requests were met with
replies of `We have our own warfare guidelines. Leave the job
to us.' The request to establish fixed lookout posts near the
entrance to the town was also rejected. The IDF claimed
lookouts would draw gunfire and terrorists would regard them
as a target. Therefore the army promised to set up mobile
lookouts." The preventative steps taken by the army were to
no avail. Last Tuesday another booby trap was laid and the
results were heartbreaking.
