Analysts caution that Netanyahu’s plan could fuel the bloodshed that has already seen 32 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers this month.
In response to the rising violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed plans to make it simpler for Israelis to obtain firearms. This measure is viewed as “collective punishment” and may lead to increased violence.
After calling a meeting of his security cabinet, which was populated by extreme MPs, in response to two shootings, including one in occupied East Jerusalem, Netanyahu announced the decision late on Saturday.
The weekend shootings occurred near the conclusion of a month of escalating hostilities and came after an Israeli raid that left nine Palestinians dead in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and gunfire exchanges between Israel and Gaza.
32 Palestinians had been slain by Israeli soldiers this month in total.
Israel had not recently conducted a raid of the magnitude of its operation in Jenin, but it is a part of increased military incursions by the Israeli army into the occupied West Bank, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 200 Palestinians.
Netanyahu pledged on Saturday to speed up the process for Israeli citizens to obtain firearm licences and to intensify measures to gather “illegal firearms.” The residences of the alleged attackers will also be sealed right away before being demolished, he continued, “in order to extract an additional price from those who support terrorism.”
Later, his office announced that social security benefits for the assailants’ families would also be terminated.
Additionally, it made vague promises of fresh actions to “strengthen” illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“Violation of human rights”
Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays said Netanyahu’s plans to authorise more gun permits for Israeli citizens coincide with Israeli police pushing those with active licences to carry their weapons.
READ ALSO: US officials have made a police video about Tyre Nichols’ death public
Bays called the actions against the Palestinian families “collective punishment” and “a clear violation of human rights,” adding that while Netanyahu is advising Israelis not to use force, he is also arming the exact same people.
Bishara claimed that “they are attempting to further arm already armed people in Jerusalem and the West Bank.”
“More misery and violence will only serve the interests of the most radical [groups] in Israel and possibly in Palestine.”
An additional battalion had been sent to the occupied West Bank, according to a military spokesperson for Israel.
Israeli analysts claimed that Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security, as well as other hardliners in Netanyahu’s cabinet, were exerting pressure on him.
The Israeli administration is the most right-wing in the country’s history.
Ben-Gvir, who had advocated for more gun licences, declared on Saturday that he would also work to have “terrorists” executed.
Itamar Ben-Gvir is known for being a firefighter, and now Netanyahu is gifting him a complete canister of oil, according to Haaretz contributor Akiva Eldar.
I’m worried that Netanyahu has limited options. “He must choose between two evils, and I fear that no responsible adult in his government will be able to stop him,” Eldar told Al Jazeera.
Tens of thousands of protestors rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to oppose separate plans by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which took power in December, to revamp the nation’s legal system and undermine the Israeli Supreme Court. The latest measures were also unveiled at the same time.
Hamas, the organisation in charge of the Gaza Strip, stated to Al Jazeera that they were prepared to retaliate to additional Israeli raids. Basem Naim. He declared that the organisation was dedicated to protecting not only Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex but also its members and their families.
“We do not have any escalation or violence initiatives planned or underway.” “At the same time, we are prepared to react [to attacks] as usual,” he added.
Naim asserted that Hamas would use all legal means—diplomatic, political, and military—to secure the liberation of its people.
In order to protest the tragic raid in Jenin, the Palestinian leadership in the occupied West Bank reiterated its decision to stop security coordination with Israel.
The Palestinian Authority urged the international community and the United States to pressure Israel to stop its incursions in the West Bank following a meeting in Ramallah presided over by President Mahmoud Abbas.
On Monday and Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Ramallah and Jerusalem.
RESOURCES: NEWSPAPERS AND AL JAZEERA
