The Israeli military yesterday began deploying hundreds of troops in Israeli cities to assist police forces in countering a wave of deadly Palestinian shooting and stabbing attacks that have created panic across the country.
The military’s deployment of six companies marks the first implementation of measures by Israel’s security Cabinet to counter the attacks that have intensified dramatically in recent days.
The Cabinet met late into the night and announced steps early yesterday that included allowing police to seal off points of friction or incitement, including in East Jerusalem.
Photo: EPA
Many of the recent attackers have come from East Jerusalem, the predominantly Arab side of the city. Israel regards all of Jerusalem as an integral part of the country, so the threat to seal off neighborhoods there is a dramatic escalation in policing.
The Cabinet also decided to strip residency rights and demolish homes of some attackers and draft hundreds more security guards to secure public transport.
Israeli police said 300 soldiers had already been incorporated into their deployment on the streets.
Israeli Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan also said the bodies of dead Palestinian attackers should not be returned to their families for burial.
Erdan said the funeral processions of Palestinians who killed Israelis often turn into “an exhibition of support for terror and incitement to murder.”
He said Israel should not allow them to “enjoy respect and ceremonies” after their deaths.
The funerals are a frequent flashpoint for clashes and often include calls for revenge. Erdan suggested the attackers be buried without fanfare in distant cemeteries where previous Palestinian killers have been buried.
The comments come after a particularly bloody day in which a pair of Palestinian stabbing and shooting attacks in Jerusalem killed three Israelis and another two attacks took place in the normally quiet Israeli city of Raanana. Three Palestinians, including two attackers, were also killed.
The government has thus far been unable to stop the violence, carried out mostly by young Palestinians unaffiliated with known militant groups and apparently acting on their own.
However, Israeli security officials said Tuesday’s seemingly coordinated attacks indicated that the outburst of violence was starting to take on a more organized fashion, from groups behind the planning and those carrying out attacks.
The officials, speaking anonymously according to regulations, said Israel expects the current wave to last at least a few more weeks.
The attacks have caused panic in Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of heavy violence. Israeli military affairs commentators have questioned the value of the lock-down, saying those determined to carry out attacks would still find ways to do so.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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