PA must stop paying terrorists, find new leaders: Samaria council head

Davidi Ben-Zion, Deputy Head of Samaria Regional Council, urges the Palestinian Authority to stop paying terrorists and educating children to hate. He states Jewish settlements are fenced as they are targets for attack, unlike Palestinian villages.

Deputy Head, Samaria Regional Council, Davidi Ben-Zion, on Wednesday, said the Palestinian Authority must stop paying the terrorists, stop teaching children that 'killing Jews is holy', and find new leadership if the situation is to be improved for Israelis and Palestinians.

In a conversation with ANI, Zion said that Palestinian villages do not have fences, the Jewish settlements do because they are targets for attacks. "Stop paying salaries to terrorists who murder Jewish families, stop the formal education system that teaches children that killing Jews is a 'holy mission' and find a new leadership that is not based on evil," he said.

'We live together but settlements are targets for attacks'

"In Samaria, we live together in the same area. We use the same roads and work in the same industrial zones. For example, Leshem is a Jewish settlement and Deir Ballut is an Arabic village. While the Palestinian villages do not have fences, the Jewish settlements do because they are targets for attacks. We use cameras, radar, and emergency teams to protect our residents," he added.

'Media portrayal vs reality on the ground'

Zion emphasised the deep chasm between the media reports on Israel and the reality on the ground. He said IDF soldiers enter these Palestinian villages, Deir Ballut, to ensure that no one is producing terror weapons, bombs, or rockets. "I was born in Kiryat Arba, Hebron, and I have lived in Samaria for the last 22 years. I am the Deputy Governor of the Samaria Regional Council. First of all, welcome to Samaria. It is really important to come and see the reality of the situation with your own eyes, because people abroad--and even in Israel--often rely on the media. Whether it is newspapers, radio, or the internet, they see the narrative of the reporter and believe that it is the truth. Unfortunately, the distance between reality and the media portrayal can be very far," he said.

IDF's role in preventing terror

He further said that if the IDF ensured every day that the October 7, 2023, attacks are not repeated. "We are currently in Pduel, a Jewish settlement in the middle of Samaria. From here, we can see the entire centre of Israel. You can see the towers of Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, Rishon Lezion, and Ashkelon. To the north, you can see Netanya and Hadera. Right here is a Palestinian village called Deir Ballut. Every night, our brave IDF soldiers enter these Palestinian villages to ensure that no one is producing terror weapons, bombs, or rockets. We know what happens when our soldiers are not there. We saw it over two years ago in Kfar Aza, Be'eri, and Nahal Oz when, on October 7th, thousands of terrorists from Gaza committed a terrible massacre. We know the same thing could happen in the heart of Israel, in cities like Petah Tikva and Rosh Ha'ain, if we were not positioned here," he said.

Growing Jewish population in Judea and Samaria

Zion added that the area has a high density of the Jewish community and it is expected to rise. "There are currently 700,000 Jewish people living on the east side of the Green Line in Judea and Samaria. We expect this number to grow to one million in the next five years because we have a high population growth rate of 8% every year. The situation in Judea and Samaria is permanent; no one can repeat what Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did 20 years ago in Gaza and Gush Katif, where 20 settlements were destroyed and hundreds of families were thrown out of their homes. For reference, there were fewer than 10,000 Jewish people in Gush Katif; today, we are talking about 700,000," he said.

He added that most people there serve in the army and pay taxes. "Most of the people here serve in the army and pay taxes. I am a major in the paratroopers and have served more than 400 days in reserve duty over the last two years. On October 7th, my soldiers and I went to Kfar Aza to save our brothers. We are normal families living our lives," he said.

Discrepancies in Palestinian population data

Zion added that the Palestinian population feels large in the area because they do not eliminate the names of those who died. "Regarding the Palestinian population, there are different accounts. Some estimates say 1.8 million, while the Palestinians claim 2.8 million. There are three reasons for this gap. First, the residents of Gaza are sometimes double-counted. Second, they often do not remove the names of those who have died. But the real answer is that more than one million Palestinian Arabs live abroad in places like Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Egypt. Many left during the 1967 war, but the Palestinian Authority continues to list them as residents in hopes that they will one day return," he said.

Three key reasons for Israeli presence

The strategic imperative

"The second reason we must be here is strategic, based on the game theory developed by the Israeli Nobel Prize winner, Professor Israel Aumann. He uses the example of two people sharing $50,000. A rational person suggests a 50/50 split. However, a non-rational actor, driven by an emotional or holy agenda, might demand $40,000 and threaten to walk away otherwise," he added.

Zion noted that Israelis cannot simply run away, noting their history with Lebanon. "Professor Aumann argues that if you accept the unfair deal just to get something, the other side learns they can break you in every future negotiation. In the Middle East, we cannot run away. We left Lebanon 25 years ago and ended up with Hezbollah on our border. We left Gaza and gave the territory to Hamas, who turned it into a terror state instead of the "Singapore of the Middle East." We saw the results on October 7th," he added.

Historical and religious ties

Zion said that there are three historic places in Samaria associated with Jewish beliefs. "The third and most important reason is our national history. We have three holy places in Samaria, the most famous being Joseph's Tomb. Joseph was brought from Egypt and buried in Shechem. While the Palestinian name for the city is Nablus, the biblical name is Shechem. When the Romans arrived 2,000 years ago, they tried to cut the connection between our nation and our land. They changed the name of Israel to Palestine, Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina, and Shechem to Neapolis. Over time, "Neapolis" became "Nablus." We go to pray at the tomb of Joseph because it is our national source. Without our history in places like Shechem and Hebron, we have no reason to be in Tel Aviv or Eilat," he said.

'Situation stable due to intensive work of IDF'

Zion said that because of the IDF and Israeli intelligence systems, Judea and Samaria have been peaceful as compared to other areas in Israel. "Since the war began, the situation in Judea and Samaria has actually been relatively stable compared to the borders with Gaza and Lebanon. This is due to the intensive work of the IDF and our intelligence systems. Our soldiers conduct arrests every night to prevent bombs from reaching the center of Israel. While the future after Abu Mazen is uncertain, we must remain strong. As Golda Meir once said, even when there is peace, we must be the stronger side," he said.

Recent IDF operation

The comments come as the Israel Defence Forces on Wednesday killed a terrorist who opened fire from the vicinity of a church toward IDF soldiers.

🔴ELIMINATED: The terrorist who opened fire from the vicinity of a church toward IDF soldiers and killed Major (res.) Itamar Sapir. The terrorist was eliminated through a targeted IAF strike, after being identified entering a structure in the church area. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 27, 2026

In a post on X, the IDF said, "ELIMINATED: The terrorist who opened fire from the vicinity of a church toward IDF soldiers and killed Major (res.) Itamar Sapir. The terrorist was eliminated through a targeted IAF strike, after being identified entering a structure in the church area." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)