Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday (28) pledged a “vigorous” response to two attacks by Palestinians in East Jerusalem, one of which killed seven Israelis.
“Our response will be forceful, swift and precise,” Netanyahu told a national security cabinet meeting. “We are not looking for an escalation, but we are prepared for any scenario,” he added.
The attacks come at a time of escalating violence, which accelerated on Thursday (26th) after one of the Israeli army’s deadliest operations in the occupied West Bank in almost two decades, which ended in nine Palestinians dead.
The Israeli security forces have been put on high alert in the face of international calls to prevent the conflict from escalating.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the region next week where he will discuss “steps to be taken to ease tensions” with leaders of Egypt, Israel and the West Bank, the State Department said.
Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister from 2009 to 2021, returned to power last month at the head of a coalition that includes farright and ultraOrthodox religious parties.
This Saturday, the prime minister promised “accelerated processes” to shut down and demolish the homes of perpetrators of attacks on Israel, an action human rights NGOs denounce as measures of collective punishment.
He also proposed making it easier for civilians to carry guns and removing benefits for “families who support terrorism”.
Islamic Jihad praises the attack on a synagogue in Israel