A Palestinian terrorist throws a firebomb at Israeli security forces. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
As Palestinian attacks against Israelis become increasingly frequent, Prime Minister Netanyahu held an emergency session with the defense establishment and ordered a beefed up security presence in Jerusalem and other flash points.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel’s security forces to step up action against the mounting wave of Palestinian terror in Israel.
The premier convened what was categorized as an “emergency discussion” on the security situation in Jerusalem and its environs and specifically along Highway 443, a main route leading to the capital that has been the site of several recent terror attacks.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Intelligence and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Shabak (Israel’s Security Agency) Director Yoram Cohen were all present to offer their professional input.
Netanyahu said he could not “accept a situation in which stones and firebombs are thrown along a main route to – and within – Jerusalem.”
“The policy is zero tolerance for stone-throwing and zero tolerance for terrorism.”
He ordered that units along Highway 443 be reinforced, that intelligence and surveillance efforts be stepped up and that the possibility of adding cameras and lighting along the entire length of the highway be examined.
Two additional Border Police companies and approximately 400 Israel Police personnel will be deployed in Jerusalem.
Israel’s legal system is finding it difficult to contend with rock-throwing minors, and therefore the option of changing the regulations regarding the use of weapons against terrorists throwing rocks and firebombs will be examined, as will be the imposition by law of minimum sentences for terrorists who throw rocks and firebombs.
The Knesset (Israeli Parliament) recently passed a law making its easier to prosecute rock-throwing terrorists in court.
Netanyahu concluded the meeting by declaring that such incidents “must be significantly reduced.”
Long String of Attacks
There has been a long string of terror attacks in Jerusalem and on Highway 443 in the past months, almost on a daily basis. They go almost unnoticed by the media because, in most cases, there are no casualties involved.
A Palestinian terrorist uses a slingshot to throw a rock. (Issam Rimawi/Flash90)
For instance, on August 23 Palestinians threw stones at Israeli vehicles near a gas station on Route 443. There were no casualties; cars were damaged.
That same day, Palestinians threw dozens of Molotov cocktails at police forces in the village of Issawiya in Jerusalem. There were no casualties.
On August 19, Palestinians threw rocks at two vehicles on Route 45 near Jerusalem, between the Atarot Junction and the Benzion Netanyahu Exchange. A baby girl just under two years old and her father were injured and their vehicle was damaged.
On the morning of August 15, 2015, a Palestinian stabbed an IDF soldier stationed on Route 443. Arriving at the roadblock, the Palestinian asked for water. When the soldier turned around to get it, the terrorist stabbed him with a sharp instrument.
Earlier in August, terrorists threw a firebomb at an Israeli car on Route 443. An Israeli woman, 27, was moderately wounded, and a man lightly. Another man was lightly injured after attempting to extinguish the flames. He sustained burns and inhaled smoke. Israeli security forces later caught the terror cell responsible for the attack.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel