Netanyahu to increase assaults against Palestinians

After the second urgent security meeting within two days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Israeli security services yesterday evening to increase assaults on Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem in order to stop them uprising, Israeli media reported.

Israeli Radio said that Netanyahu met with his senior security aides in order to discuss the repercussions of the latest violence in West Bank and Jerusalem.

The station said that Netanyahu is to hold another meeting with his political and security cabinet members.

According to the online Israeli newsite Ynet News, Netanyahu “ordered new steps which are meant to prevent terrorism, after a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Defence.”

Netanyahu said: “We are waging a war to the death against Palestinian terrorism. I have ordered a series of additional steps in order to prevent terror and to deter and punish the attackers.”

One of his directives, Ynet News reported, was accelerating the destruction of homes of the Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces after they stabbed Jews in Jerusalem.

In addition, the Israeli newspaper reported that Netanyahu decided to extend administrative detention for Palestinian detainees and to reinforce the existence Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, while banning Palestinians from entering Jerusalem’s Old City, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located.

Meanwhile, Palestinian news agency Safa said that 400 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli forces and one killed in the occupied West Bank over the past 24 hours.

Additionally, 160 Palestinians were wounded and 18 arrested by Israeli forces in occupied Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said yesterday evening that in the three days of violence, Israeli forces wounded 14 of its staff across the West Bank and Jerusalem, Maan news agency reported.

During the last two weeks, Israeli violations of Palestinian holy sites, including Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque, have escalated.

That prompted angry responses by young Palestinian individuals who attempted to assault Israelis in illegal West Bank settlements as well as in occupied Jerusalem.

Four Israelis were killed in the attacks and three others were wounded. Israel blamed Hamas and the Palestinian Authority for the attacks.

Hamas and other factions said that the attacks came in response to the increasing Israeli violence against Palestinians, their holy sites and properties, including last month’s burning of a Palestinian family in the West Bank.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stressed that security cooperation would continue with the Israelis, but warned of losing control if Israeli violations did not stop.