Havat Gilad

Arson In Havat Gilad BY SAMUEL SOKOL On Sunday, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Arab infiltrators burned two homes to the ground in the village of Havat Gilad. The town’s infrastructure was also badly damaged, with many

74 September 25, 2009

Noam and Batya Breur, parents of three small children, watched helplessly as their wooden house went up in flames,

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containing all of their worldly possessions, as did Itay and Hila Cohen, the owners of the second house. While no one was killed, six members of the community were rushed for medical treatment for smoke inhalation sustained while attempting to extinguish the inferno. The Israeli Defense Forces arrested four suspects, all Arab residents of a nearby village, who were then handed over to the police for questioning. A representative of the fire department has determined that the blaze was intentional and constitutes arson. The main sewage line in the community was destroyed. Significant damage was also done to the electrical grid, with half the community without electricity. David Ha’ivri of the Shomron Liason Office estimated the damage at half a million shekels [$133,000]. Immediately after the end of Rosh Hashana, Samaria Regional Council head Gershom Mesika arrived on the scene and condemned the attack as an “act of terrorism.” Mesika called on the IDF to “protect the community of Havat Gilad and punish the terrorists that are hurting it.” Supporters of the settlement movement around the world are establishing an emergency fund to supply the money needed to rebuild the destroyed houses and to supply the two affected families with clothing and furniture to replace the possessions

Photos Courtesy Of Shomron liaison office

homes without electricity and sewage systems destroyed. At one in the afternoon, when the men

of the community were gathered together in their town’s synagogue, a fire was spotted in a field bordering the community and moving quickly in the direction of their homes. Despite efforts by local residents to quell the blaze, two homes were destroyed.

destroyed in the fire. Neither the Breur nor the Cohen families had insurance. The town of Havat Gilad, located near the development town of Kedumim, was established nine years ago by Moshe Zar on privately purchased land in memory of his son Gilad, who had been shot down by Arabs close by. Gilad was the civilian security chief of the Samaria regional council, tasked with coordinating security with the IDF and protecting

local residents from terrorism. Zar, a friend of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, had received assurances that he would be given no problems in building Havat Gilad. However, the fledgling community was demolished by the IDF twice in its first year. Today the village is home to 25 families. ❖