Parents of lone soldier who thwarted attack join ceremony over Zoom

IDF lone soldier Cpl. Lian Harush's parents surprised her over Zoom as she received a certificate of appreciation this week from Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, after she thwarted a terrorist attack at the Giti Avishar Junction west of Ariel in the West Bank in January.

Dagan and Ephraim Regional Brigade Yiftach Nurkin presented the certificate of appreciation to the soldiers who stopped a terrorist attempting to carry out a stabbing attack at the junction.

"You are a great heroine, and we came to strengthen you as two heroes who prevented an attack, and instead of at hospitals we are here. Before we start the ceremony I have a little surprise, we have guests from London who join us in zoom," said Dagan at the ceremony, introducing Harush's parents, who joined the ceremony over Zoom from England.

"Lian, you are a role model for your family and friends here. You have always stood by your principles and not given up on Zionism and faced the obstacles set before you," said Harush's parents. "You are determined and brave and did what you had to do, you are a huge pride for us and all those around you, we love you very much and are endlessly proud of you."

Harush, originally from London, was at the Giti Avishar Junction along with her commander when a Palestinian, Attallah Mohammad Rayyan, 17, approached and tried to stab her.

“After I knocked him back with my weapon, he went back and forth between me and my commander, trying to stab us,” Harush said.

While they tussled, her commander, Sgt. Y., shot and killed the terrorist.

"We have prepared for your dear daughter, the heroic warrior, a surprise, and we are excited together with you, we live in Samaria as citizens we build here, travel here. This incident could have ended in other ways," said Dagan. "We could have found ourselves injured visitors in hospitals or worse... and you stopped an incident that could have ended tragically and terribly as happened here not so long ago, [instead] ended properly with a routine that continues as it should."

“In this specific incident, IDF soldiers, in this case the Ram Battalion of the Home Front Command, conducted themselves exactly as we expect them to, and in this situation that someone is attacking you, IDF soldiers have to overcome it. It is not a simple thing. You acted with determination and courage and finished the incident in this way, and, for us, the task that we are tested on a daily basis, to protect the residents of Judea and Samaria in the Ephraim Regional Brigade... has been carried out."

"I wanted to say thank you. We did what needed to be done. I'm glad everyone is healthy. Thank you for everything and thank you for the surprise," said Harush.

"Thank you very much for inviting us here, it is a great honor and not obvious, [we are] very happy that we were able to act properly, and most importantly that there is a sense of security, citizens," said Sgt. Yonatan Shulman, the soldier who shot the terrorist.

Both Harush and Shulman are from the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Unit, currently on routine security activity in the West Bank.