After the worst attack by a Palestinian in a decade and a half, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a tough policy. “We are not looking for an escalation, but we are prepared for all possibilities,” the head of the new right-wing government said in Jerusalem on Sunday.
“Our response to terror is a firm hand and a strong, swift and focused response.” After Friday night’s attack, which killed at least seven people, there are international concerns about a new escalation of violence in the Middle East.
Worst attack by a Palestinian in 15 years
The attack on visitors to a synagogue in East Jerusalem was the deadliest Palestinian attack since 2008. On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the man opened fire on Israelis leaving a synagogue after Shabbat prayer. Seven people were killed and three were injured, including a 15-year-old. Among the dead is a woman who came from Ukraine. The 21-year-old assassin from East Jerusalem was shot dead on the spot by police. More than 40 people from his area were arrested.
Retaliation for deadly attack on Jenin
The attack came just a day after an Israeli army raid on Jenin that killed a total of 10 Palestinians – including members of the Islamic Jihad militant group, who engaged in a firefight with the soldiers. Since the beginning of the year, 33 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the army or in their own attacks.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank reacted with celebrations to the attack on the synagogue. A spokesman for the radical Islamist Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, described it as “retaliation for the Israeli army’s attack on the Jenin refugee camp”.
Further attacks then took place on Saturday: a 13-year-old Palestinian wounded two Israelis in East Jerusalem. One of them shot the boy, who then received medical attention. A Palestinian has been shot dead in a knife attack in the northern West Bank settlement of Kedumim.
Stricter measures against hitmen’s families
Israeli security forces sealed the killer’s home in East Jerusalem on Sunday night. This implemented a decision of the Israeli security cabinet that was only a few hours old: in the future, the apartments or houses of assassins must be immediately sealed and then destroyed.
Netanyahu also announced that he would withdraw social security rights from relatives of terrorist supporters. Further possible steps are the withdrawal of Israeli identity cards and the right of residence. Palestinians from Jerusalem often have residency rights in Israel, but rarely citizenship. The security cabinet has also decided to make it easier for Israelis to obtain firearm permits. The army decided on Sunday to send two companies to Jerusalem and cities near the West Bank to bolster police. The police are on high alert for fear of new attacks.
Challenge to Israel’s far-right government
Israel’s government – the most right-wing the country has ever had – has been in office for just a month. Since then, the conflict with the Palestinians has again dangerously escalated. However, the wave of violence had already begun with a series of attacks during the tenure of the more liberal previous government.
The further escalation of violence is a “nightmare” for the new far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, writes political expert Avi Issacharoff on the news site ynet on Sunday. Ben-Gvir has promised his voters that he will take a tough stance against the Palestinians to bring about peace. But now he must experience firsthand that there are no magical solutions to the conflict, says Isacharoff. If young Palestinians are willing to die in an attack, “even locking up or destroying a house will not prevent the next attack.”
Netanyahu would receive little support from his far-right coalition partners for a more conciliatory approach to relations with the Palestinians.
With settlement expansion on the way to confrontation with the US
In line with his radical partners, Netanyahu also announced on Sunday an expansion of Israel’s settlement project in the occupied territories. This to “make it clear to the terrorists who want to drive us out of our country that we are here to stay”.
In doing so, however, he is confronting Israel’s most important ally, the United States. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected to visit Israel on Monday, only last month criticized the settlement policy in the occupied West Bank in clear terms. “We will continue to unequivocally oppose any action that undermines the prospects for a two-state solution.”
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. Today, more than 600,000 Israeli settlers live there. The Palestinians claim the territories for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The new escalation of violence comes at a time of deep internal division in Israel. Despite the attacks, tens of thousands again protested on Saturday evening against the planned judicial reform, which many see as a threat to democracy. Protesters in Tel Aviv lit candles and observed a minute’s silence to remember the victims of the attack. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
