IDF weighs ban on school trips to West Bank as violence flares

Following two shooting attacks in the West Bank, the IDF on Thursday instructed schools in Israel to resubmit all requests for field trips beyond the Green Line.

	The ancient site of Herodion south of Jerusalem
	Photo by: Gabbi Laron

The army's Central Command also said it was weighing the outright prohibition of trips by Israeli students to the West Bank due to a recent deterioration in security.

Two drive-by shootings on Tuesday and Wednesday left four Israeli civilians dead and two more injured. Hamas militants claimed responsibility for the attacks.

For the moment, each request would be re-evaluated according to security considerations, the IDF said.

In response to the IDF's announcement, the Human Rights Organization of Judea and Samaria, a pro-settler non-profit group, appealed to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, urging him not to "succumb to terror" and to authorize all field trips.

Popular destinations in the West Bank include the ancient site of Herodion south of Jerusalem, Wadi Qelt in the Judean desert, the northern shore of the Dead Sea and an ancient aqueduct at Gush Etzion.