Israel may penalize the families of Palestinian attackers by revoking identity cards and residency if they support the violence, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, after a deadly shooting near a synagogue escalated some of the bloodiest inter-communal violence in years.
The rising violence comes ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week. He’ll meet Netanyahu, members of his new right-wing Israeli government and Palestinian leaders who have severed security cooperation over a military raid on the West Bank city of Jenin in which nine Palestinians were killed last week.
The government will debate the proposed new measures, Netanyahu told a weekly Cabinet meeting, as well as expanding and speeding up the licensing of weapons to thousands of Israeli citizens, also including the rescue services, he said, expanding on plans announced overnight.
This would include ZAKA, the Jerusalem-based paramedics and search and rescue group, which has 3,000 volunteers, he said.
“Imagine that they, and others, will be armed. This of course significantly increases the ability to respond,” he said.
In the weekend attack, a 21-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem shot dead seven Israelis near a synagogue. In separate violence, a 13-year-old shot a man and his son headed toward the Western Wall in the Old City. It has been one of the bloodiest months in Israel and the occupied West Bank in years.
If the government goes ahead with the identity card policy, it would apply to Palestinians in east Jerusalem, who — unlike West Bank Palestinians — have permanent Israeli residency granting them Israeli identification papers and eligibility for social benefits.
Relatives of East Jerusalem-based attackers who express support for violence and terrorism could face this penalty, Netanyahu said. Their homes would also be razed.
Netanyahu also said he would approve steps to “strengthen settlement” in the occupied West Bank in response to the violence.
“While we are not seeking escalation, we are prepared for any possibility. Our answer to terrorism is an iron fist and a powerful, swift and precise response,” he said.
Hamas, the militant group that runs the Gaza Strip called on its supporters to confront a “frenzied campaign” by settlers in the West Bank who Palestinians said were targeting their vehicles and shops. Videos posted on social media showed burning cars in a village near the West Bank city of Nablus. Bloomberg was not immediately able to confirm the footage.
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(With assistance from Gwen Ackerman and Fadwa Hodali.)
