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sraeli police and rescue personnel are seen at the scene of a shooting attack near the Old City of Jerusalem, on Jan. 28. PA images. Xinhua News Agency/PA Images

Israel announces measures against 'families of terrorists' following attacks

Benjamin Netanyahu promised a “strong” and “swift” response to attacks carried out by two Palestinians from annexed east Jerusalem.

THE ISRAELI SECURITY cabinet has announced measures to revoke certain rights of “terrorist families” after two attacks in east Jerusalem, one of which killed seven people near a synagogue.

Ahead of the meeting late Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised a “strong” and “swift” response to the attacks carried out by two Palestinians from annexed east Jerusalem.

Afterwards the security cabinet announced measures to revoke the rights to social security of “the families of terrorists that support terrorism”. It also said there will be a discussion today by the council of ministers over a bill to revoke their Israeli identity cards.

The measures announced are in line with proposals from Netanyahu’s far-right political partners which enabled him to return to power at the end of December, following elections the previous month.

They are likely to apply primarily to Palestinians with Israeli nationality (Israeli Arabs) and Palestinians with resident status in annexed east Jerusalem.

On Thursday, nine people were killed in an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in one of the deadliest such operations in years.

shooting-in-east-jerusalem Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives at the site of a shooting attack near a synagogue DPA / PA Images DPA / PA Images / PA Images

On Friday evening, a 21-year-old Palestinian fired on passers-by near a synagogue in the settlement neighborhood of Neve Yaacov, killing seven people before being shot.

The bloodshed continued on Saturday, when a 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot and wounded a 47-year-old Israeli father and his army officer son, 23, in Silwan, just outside the walled Old City of east Jerusalem.

The boy blamed for the attack was shot and wounded at the scene.

No one has claimed responsibility for either of the attacks.

The security cabinet also decided to make it easier to obtain permits to carry firearms.

“When civilians have guns, they can defend themselves,” extreme-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told reporters outside a Jerusalem hospital on Saturday.

Israeli forces have been placed on high alert, and the army has announced that it will be reinforcing troop numbers in the West Bank, while calls for restraint have multiplied from abroad.

Deadly raid

The attacks came after one of the deadliest Israeli army raids in the occupied West Bank in two decades, rocket fire from militants in the Gaza Strip and retaliatory Israeli air strikes.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday to discuss steps for de-escalation.

Friday’s attack near a synagogue, which coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, sparked outrage in Europe and the United States and condemnation from several Arab governments that have ties with Israel — including Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Israeli and Palestinian media have named the gunman as Khayri Alqam, who was being praised on some Arabic-language social media platforms.

Calling the attack “particularly abhorrent,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply worried about the current escalation of violence”.

But the Palestinian Authority led by president Mahmud Abbas refrained from condemnation, with his office insisting Israel was “fully responsible for the dangerous escalation”.

The fresh violence came after nine Palestinians were killed Thursday in what Israel described as a “counter-terrorism” operation in the Jenin refugee camp.

It was one of the deadliest Israeli army raids in the West Bank since the second intifada, the Palestinian uprising of 2000 to 2005.

Israel said Islamic Jihad operatives were the target.

Islamic Jihad and Hamas both later fired several rockets at Israeli territory.

Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israeli air defences. The military responded with strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.

There were no casualties reported on either side, but Gaza’s armed groups vowed further action.

Test for Netanyahu

Netanyahu, who returned to power in December after just 14 months in opposition, has for decades branded himself as the leader best suited to keep Israel safe and will be tested by the deadliest spate of violence targeting Israelis in years.

Abbas and Netanyahu are due to meet separately with Blinken next week, talks that have taken on renewed urgency amid the widening bloodshed.

It will be Netanyahu’s first high-level US meeting since returning to power as the head of the most right-wing government in Israeli history.

Netanyahu’s domestic critics continued their protests on Saturday, with thousands turning out in Tel Aviv to oppose his controversial judicial reform plan that aims to give politicians more control over the Supreme Court.

Demonstrators observed a minute of silence for those killed on Friday.

© Agence France-Presse

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    Mute Airwave81
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:31 AM

    Shaping the narrative with the old terrorist families nonsense ? You mean collective punishment surely. The Palestinians are the only people on earth that are required to apologise for resisting the occupation of there country .

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    Mute G man
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    Jan 29th 2023, 9:22 AM

    Comments getting deleted i see

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    Mute Allora
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:08 AM

    @G man: rightly so. The anti semitism in some of them is astonishing. Criticism of Israel is easily done without antisemitism.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Jan 29th 2023, 11:39 AM

    @Allora: but its considered antisemitism to criticise Israel who are the occupying force.

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    Mute Allora
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    Jan 29th 2023, 1:17 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: poor position. It implies that antisemitism is either real or justified. Regardless of what your view is antisemitism its very real and it doesn’t specifically deal with all criticism of Israel. A constant mistake made by people in Ireland that support the Palestinians is that Jewish people are responsible for Israels behaviour in some way. Not all Israelis are jewish nor are all Jewish people isreali. There is very considerable amount of Jewish people who are active against Israels actions against the Palestinians. If occupation is the measurement of your views then why have you not mentioned Jordan which is just as guilty of occupation of Palestinian land. This is my great concern about this matter.

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    Mute Russian Bot
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    Jan 29th 2023, 4:54 PM

    @Allora: The notion that any state has a right to destroy the lives of those who exist on that land in the interest of a lunatic plan for a ‘Greater Israel’ is what Jim (above) alludes to. This illegitimate state in the name certain religious belief, has conflated the issue of antisemitism to its own ends. This should be of greater concern.

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    Mute Allora
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    Jan 29th 2023, 5:43 PM

    @Russian Bot: again heres where i often disagree with the comments on this matter. Let me be clear it is true Israel carries out horrendous attrocities and this state is still a secular state although its current government ard trying to undermine that. Judaism is not just a religious position. If anyone is attempting to bring theocracy to the region its the arabs Take a look at its neighbours. We agree that currently there issues around an expansionist Israel which must be challenged and stopped but again i have witnessed antisemitism in the comment section here and that should be called out. In my so should the racism towards Palestinians from the Israeli side.

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    Mute Russian Bot
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    Jan 29th 2023, 6:10 PM

    @Allora: Judaism is just that, a religious position. A state has been “formed” purely upon this basis. It’s very existence is predicated on some religious belief and however irrational, people are entitled to hold. But not as a reason to systematically crush the people of the land they have imposed their state upon, into oblivion. While the world stands idly by. Something that cuts to the bone for most Irish people, in the knowledge of their own recent history and more recent struggles. I don’t agree with your subtle, faux argument.

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    Mute Allora
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    Jan 29th 2023, 8:06 PM

    @Russian Bot: faux argument? You suggesting the Jewish community is based on religion is an often suggested error. Its possible to be Jewish without being a member of the Jewish faith. This is a common mistake. Jewish history will help you.

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    Mute frank griffin
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:04 PM

    @Allora: Israel

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    Mute frank griffin
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:04 PM

    @Allora: Israel

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    Mute Russian Bot
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:32 PM

    @Allora: And read my comment again, it will help you.

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    Mute Gavan Duffy
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:24 AM

    This is collective punishment, a war crime under the Geneva conventions, just like the home demolitions that apply only to the families of Palestinian suspects and not the families of Price Tag terrorists. Ben-Gvir himself, who recently ordered the banning of Palestinian flags, was convicted of supporting terrorism and inciting racism. Is

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    Mute John Mcmahon
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:18 AM

    I have nothing against Israeli people but their government are savages they caused this with their raid, which killed 7 people if this was Europe or the United States and 7 people were killed in a raid their would be consequences from the UN

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    Mute Chris Purcell
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    Jan 29th 2023, 10:46 AM

    About time these Israeli Fascist leaders sat down with the Palestinians and sort this problem out once and for all. They could start by retreating from all the Annexed land they have stolen from the Palestinian People. Putin doing the same thing in Ukraine.
    I read a good story on the BBC website about hempcrete blocks and a Company started by an Israeli and a Palestinian together. Just shows they can work together if they choose to. It’s worth a read.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63666195

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    Mute Dinny Harkin
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    Jan 29th 2023, 4:07 PM

    Israeli war crimes have continued for over 70 years unreported by US allied media, including RTE, and without consequence. This has to change. Nation by nation, we have to make their crimes pay.

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    Mute Eddie Fenlon
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    Jan 29th 2023, 12:59 PM

    A thirteen year old terrorist. The adults in the room should be ashamed of themselves

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    Mute Roger Bond
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    Jan 29th 2023, 4:24 PM

    Boycott Israeli products and peace might follow..

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    Mute Paul Jude Redmond
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    Jan 29th 2023, 12:13 PM

    This is not going to end. Tit for tat retaliation only escalates and never reduces

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    Mute Russian Bot
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    Jan 29th 2023, 5:07 PM

    @Paul Jude Redmond: That’s their game.

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    Mute Padraig Nolan
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    Jan 29th 2023, 11:33 AM

    The Netflix series ‘Fauda’ is starting to look like a Documentary.

    The finale of season 4 was an Israeli special forces operation in Jenin that goes horrible wrong.

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    Mute Paul
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    Jan 29th 2023, 12:56 PM

    @Padraig Nolan: spoiler alert

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    Mute Seamus Quaide
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    Jan 29th 2023, 6:27 PM

    Israel the terrorist state continues to be allowed to murder with full impunity all funded by the US of A and Europe.

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    Mute David Saunders
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    Jan 29th 2023, 5:12 PM

    What a terrible way to treat one’s prisoners

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