Israel to strengthen settlements in the West Bank and relax civilian gun laws

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Israel’s new hardline government said it would make it easier for civilians to take up arms and boost settlements in the occupied West Bank, after shooting at Jerusalem twice in less than 24 hours.

Seven Israelis were killed and three wounded in the first shooting, which was the deadliest in the city since 2008, and took place near a synagogue in a Jewish settlement on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Two others were wounded in the second attack near the Old City on Saturday.

The Israeli cabinet said that in response to the attacks, Israel would expand and speed up issuance of firearms licenses, which it said would “enable thousands more citizens to carry weapons.”

It added that it would also take “steps to strengthen settlement” in the West Bank, which makes up the bulk of Palestinian territory but has been occupied by Israel since 1967, after some Palestinians “celebrated” in the wake of the shooting. .

“While we do not seek escalation, we are ready for any eventuality,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before a cabinet meeting on Sunday. We responded to terrorism with an iron fist and a strong, rapid and accurate response.

The surge in violence, which followed the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in two decades, and an exchange of rocket fire between Israel and militants in Gaza, has exacerbated fears that long-simmering Israeli-Palestinian tensions could spill over into a broader conflict.

It also constitutes an early test for Netanyahu’s new government, which is dominated by far-right and religious politicians, which came to power last month vowing to take a hard line against the Palestinians.

On Sunday morning, police sealed off the house of the gunman behind the first attack, a 21-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem who was killed by police at the scene, in preparation for its demolition. The attacker in the second shooting, a 13-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem, was shot and taken to hospital.

During Sunday’s cabinet session, Netanyahu ordered the officials to draw up legislation on “withdrawing residency and citizenship from terrorists and transferring them to the territory of the Palestinian Authority.”

He also requested a “draft memorandum” on legislation that would allow “the immediate dismissal of workers who have supported terrorism, without the need for a hearing.”

The security cabinet gave no further details on steps to bolster settlements, which it said would be presented this week. On Saturday, the army said it had already transferred an additional battalion to the West Bank.

Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal. However, important positions in the new Israeli government are occupied by ultra-nationalists and settlers, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who are committed to expanding settlements.

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On Saturday night, the security cabinet approved a series of other measures, including revoking national insurance rights for “families of terrorists who support terrorism,” strengthening army and police units and expanding illegal arms collection.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the plans, describing them as “racist collective punishment that incites further escalation and violence.”

The latest cycle of violence erupted after Israeli special forces killed nine Palestinians during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on Thursday targeting activists of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement. Israeli forces have killed more than 30 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, this year.

In response to the raid, the Palestinian Authority canceled security coordination with Israel. The United States urged the Palestinian Authority to reverse the decision. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel and the West Bank this week as part of a previously planned trip to the region.

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