Following a wave of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank over the past month, during which two Israelis were stabbed to death, a married couple shot dead in front of four of their six children, and another succumbing to injuries after a car accident caused by stone throwing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that the government “will restore security” through a myriad of measures. The first initiative will be the installation of security cameras throughout the West Bank.
"We decided today to enact a major plan to employ cameras at all junctions in the West Bank, both on the ground and in the air, with connections to operations room," said Netanyahu. "This is an important element of restoring security and foiling terror attacks."
Netanyahu’s response comes a day after government ministers such as Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of far-right political party Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) and other Israeli politicians criticized his handling of what many fear is the start of a third Palestinian intifadah.
"There is no question here regarding our support for the military, and everyone knows the truth, in contrast to those who claim otherwise,” he continued. “There is a certain level of responsibility required from the settlers, and they should be accurate in their claims."
The prime minister also voiced his instructions to security forces to “deal with” those shop owners who “spat in the face” of Adele Banita as she and her husband, Aharon, tried to fend off a terrorist who “emerged” from a store and stabbed them. A Jerusalem resident, 41-year-old Nehemia Lavi, eventually came to their aid, but was overpowered, and also stabbed. Both he and Banita's husband died from their injuries.
According to Banita, who recalled her ordeal after losing consciousness, Palestinian youths witnessed the attack and cursed and laughed at her, telling her to “drop dead” after she offered them monetary compensation in exchange for helping her escape with her two-year-old son, who was slightly injured, and her infant daughter.
After hearing Banita’s allegations, Netanyahu proclaimed that those culprits will also be brought to justice. “We will break this wave of terror like we broke previous waves of terror, he said. “We are in ongoing contact with all our neighbours and are trying to make the facts clear despite the wave of falsehoods that he been disseminated – we have no intention of changing the status quo at the Temple Mount and have no intention of destroying mosques or building a third temple there.”
Also on Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an end to the violence that has been escalating in recent weeks, asking Israelis to “come to the negotiating table” and “stop building in the settlements.”
"We will be willing to return to negotiations and discuss the agreements that have been violated and neglected by Israel since Oslo and until now,” he said, referring to the Oslo Accords signed in 1993. "We want to reach a political solution peacefully, and no other solution. We want to minimize the risks of destruction and loss that will sprout on all sides in the current situation."
Abbas also said that it is “unreasonable” for the Palestinians to be the only ones “committed” to the Oslo agreements. "If Israel does not want these agreements, we do not want to implement them. All our instructions to our agencies, our factions and our youth have been that we do not want escalation, but we do want to protect ourselves."
