Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Associated Press
JERUSALEM
Israel’s prime minister on Tuesday said he would take a series of “aggressive steps” to halt a wave of violence in Israeli cities after two attacks in Jerusalem left three Israelis dead. Three Palestinians, including two attackers, were also killed.
The attacks in Jerusalem, including a deadly shooting and knifing spree on a bus and a violent hacking attack caught on video, escalated the monthlong unrest and raised the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take action. The government has been unable to stop the violence, carried out mostly by young Palestinians unaffiliated with known militant groups and apparently acting on their own.
“Today we will decide on a series of additional aggressive steps in our war against terrorists and inciters,” Netanyahu said in a speech to parliament. “We will use, and not hesitate to use, all means at our disposal to restore calm.”
Netanyahu left a meeting of top security officials to deliver the speech, and quickly returned. The deliberations continued into the early hours of today when Netanyahu’s office announced that several new measures were approved.
It said that police are now authorized to “to impose a closure on, or to surround, centers of friction and incitement in Jerusalem, in accordance with security considerations.” Many of the recent attackers were from Arab areas in Jerusalem.