Tensions are running particularly high in Judea in the area between Gush Etzion and Hevron, south of Jerusalem.

The area has been hit hard by by numerous terror attacks in the past two months, including a fatal shooting attack that killed Ya’akov Don and Ezra Schwartz on Friday, as well as another fatal stabbing attack that killed Hadar Buchris on Sunday. Both attacks occurred near the Gush Etzion interchange, an interchange where thousands of Jews and Palestinians commute through each day.

President Reuven Rivlin and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat visited Gush Etzion on Tuesday, in order to discuss the security situation with the heads of the regional council as well as the heads of each township. The President and Mayor also paid their respects to the grieving families of the slain terror victims. In a statement that was sent out by the Regional Council to all residents in the area, the pair were quoted as saying; “We came to bring strength to the people in Gush Etzion. But after meeting with them we ourselves are leaving with renewed strength.”

Local residents however, are feeling the strain. One of the organizers of Monday’s protest which occurred during Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to the area, Elana Kaszovitz told Arutz Sheva that “the stress level is unfathomably high.”

“The Regional Council and the IDF are really making an effort to quiet the situation here, and over the past two days one can really feel the difference at least north of the Gush Etzion intersection,” she said.

Kaszovitz said that the protest was organized in order “to show the Government that the residents are unwilling to be complacent in the current situation.” She added that organizers hoped that the grieving families of the recent terror victims would also take some solace in the fact that people were supporting them.

“We hope that the protest showed our support for the victims and their families. All of the residents here support them and feel terrible for their loss. We all have children who are hitchhiking, taking busses, going to school, even bicycling around the area on the roads. And it is a very difficult time for us all,” said Kaszovitz.  

The protest itself was not one of hatred, she said. “We worked very hard to keep the protest void of anti-Arab sentiment. We aren’t against Arabs, we just want to be safe, and we want our children to be safe,” Kaszovitz added.  

While some residents have stopped going shopping in and around the area of the intersection, where the local shopping center and grocery store are located, many others still feel that they need to live their lives as usual, and not give in to the pressure.

“No one I know has stopped their lives,” said Kaszovitz, “but there is fear and there is stress that is felt by everyone here. It may not be the worst situation we have ever been in, but it is quite difficult to live with.”