Police action is one of the first retaliatory measures against “the relatives of terrorists who support terrorism” approved by Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet
Demolition of homes of relatives of Palestinians who killed Israelis is not a new measure in Israel, the government of the Hebrew state defends the measure for its deterrent effect, but critics consider it an unnecessary collective punishment
This Sunday, the 29th, Israeli police sealed off the house of the Palestinian gunman who killed seven people and wounded three in front of a synagogue last Friday, the 27th, in Jerusalem Eastern. The police action is one of the first reprisal measures against “the relatives of terrorists who support terrorism” approved by the security cabinet of Benjamin Netanyahu this Saturday, the 28th. Among the measures cited are the possibilities of depriving them of social security or the withdrawal of Israeli identity documents. The second measure will still be examined by the council of ministers.
The government also announced that the family home of Khayri Alqam, the perpetrator of Friday’s attack on Neve Yaakov, “would be immediately isolated before being destroyed.” A video, which circulates on social media, shows the moment when Israeli forces hermetically closed the entrances to the house, while residents were forced to leave the residence. The demolition of the homes of relatives of Palestinians who killed Israelis is not a new measure in Israel. The government of the Hebrew state defends the measure for its deterrent effect, but critics consider it an unnecessary collective punishment.
The legal director of the Israeli NGO HaMoked, Dani Shenhar, said that the announced demolition of the residence shows “the government’s desire for revenge against the relatives”. It is a measure taken “without any respect for the rule of law”, he added. As tensions mount in the region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit next week will become increasingly turbulent. The head of US diplomacy arrived in Egypt this Sunday, the first stop of a quick visit to the Middle East, which will include visits to Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The attack on the synagogue came a day after the Israeli army killed 10 people in a military operation in the refugee camp, which exacerbated the crisis with the Palestine and raised fears of a wider conflict on the part of the international community. On Friday, the 27th, Israel reported the launch of rockets from the Gaza Strip and responded with a series of air strikes. The Islamic Jihad group and Hamas have not confirmed whether they were the perpetrators of the attacks, however, after what happened in the West Bank the previous day, they said that this Friday’s offensive carries the message that “the enemy must remain alert, because Palestinian blood is spilled costly”.
The gunman has been identified as 21-year-old Khayri Alqam, who was killed after a brief police chase. Following the spiral of violence, on Saturday, a 13-year-old Palestinian teenager opened fire and wounded a 47-year-old man and his 23-year-old son, before being “injured and neutralized” in a neighborhood outside the wall that delimits the City. Old Town in East Jerusalem, police said. Funerals for victims of last Friday’s shooting, considered the deadliest attack against Israelis since 2008, took place on Sunday. Check out the video below of Israeli agents cordoning off the gunman’s house.
Watch: Israeli officers seal off the #Jerusalem family home of a Palestinian gunman who killed seven people outside a synagogue on the outskirts of the city, police say, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “a swift response.” #Israel https://t.co/lkNJ19Bb5f pic.twitter.com/HsQeclTxNs
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 29, 2023
*With information from AFP
Source: Jovempan
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