Israeli flags vandalized in Binyamin region; Yisrael Ganz demands firm IDF response

The Binyamin Regional Council reported that Israeli flags, installed by volunteers in cooperation with the Im Tirtzu movement at Rawabi Square, were vandalized with paint over the weekend by individuals the council identified as Arabs. The flags had remained undisturbed for several months prior to the incident. According to the council, the vandalism occurred following incidents in Qusra and amidst a public campaign regarding 'settler violence,' which the council claims is emboldening hostile elements. Yisrael Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, warned that 'it begins with the vandalism of state symbols and could end in terror attacks.' He stated that a sovereign state is judged by its ability to protect its symbols and demanded a strong, uncompromising response from the IDF. Alongside this incident, other security reports from the Binyamin region over the weekend included gunfire directed at the community of Psagot, an attack on a shepherd, and the discovery of a flag near Mitzpe David Farm suspected of being attached to an explosive device.