Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to intensify his country’s response in dealing with Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. The pressure for harsher measures comes from within the right-winged government following the recent terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
The prime ministers’ public remarks came two days after a deadly car-ramming attack in the Jerusalem outskirts that killed two minors and a man.
I am deeply saddened by the recent terror attack that took the lives of three innocent individuals, including two young boys. The murder of Yaakov-Israel Plai, Asher Plai, and Alter Shlomo Lederman is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of terrorism that faces our country pic.twitter.com/SxnoyhMieR
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) February 11, 2023
Just to weeks ago a Palestinian man shot dead seven people outside a synagogue, significantly raising security worries in Israel.
These are the 7 victims of the Friday night shooting attack outside the synagogue in #Jerusalem:
Asher Natan, 14
Irina Korolova, 60
Ilya Sosansky, 26
Shaul Hai, 68
Rafael Ben Eliyahu, 56
Eli and Natalie Mizrahi, 48 and 45
May their memories be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/5N3U1UyJmS
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) January 29, 2023
Also in the West Bank the situation is tense as Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of arrests in recent months during raids leading to bloody shootings with Palestinian militants.
Jenin, West Bank
Our Palestinian fighters are currently engaging in heavy gunfire exchange with the Israeli occupation forces.
The Israeli forces threw smoke grenades to deploy snipers in the Jabryat neighborhood . No problem, our fighters know where they are hiding. pic.twitter.com/pfmwxfV7DU
— Younis | يونس (@ytirawi) February 12, 2023
At least 42 Palestinians, including gunmen but also civilians, have been killed by the IDF this year.
IDF publishes headcam footage of the raid near Jericho this morning, during which 5 Palestinian gunmen were killed. pic.twitter.com/2LDks7SQX1
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 6, 2023
“The cabinet is meeting today to prepare for an even broader action against those carrying out terrorism and their supporters in East Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, while preventing as much as possible harming those uninvolved,” said Prime Minister Netanyahu, using a term common in Israel for the West Bank.
PM Netanyahu, however, did not name any specific measures to be undertaken.
Ministers to mull response to terror attack, as Ben Gvir repeats demand for major op https://t.co/foaVFIwgRI
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) February 12, 2023
Itamar Ben-Gvir, PM Netanyahu’s far-right national security minister said that Israeli police already started a major enforcement campaign in East Jerusalem. The action plan covers measures from handing out traffic tickets to demolishing the houses belonging to Palestinian attackers.
Ex-police chief slams ‘pyromaniac’ Ben Gvir, says he’s ‘entirely unequipped’ for job https://t.co/oS8Jq789Ew
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) February 11, 2023
The harsh policies of the new national security minister have raised some concerns in Israel and abroad.