RAMALLAH: In the midst of cries for an end to the rising violence in the West Bank, Israel’s far-right national security minister has asked for greater measures against Palestinian resistance, including the destruction of their homes.
Itamar Ben-Gvir told parliament that we need a military operation to crush buildings and carry out targeted killings. Ben-Gvir, a Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist alliance member, added that this is how you fight terrorism. On Wednesday, other senior ministers in Netanyahu’s government urged for full-scale military action across the West Bank.
Other ministers downplayed the need for extra measures. “There is no need for new decisions; only adaptation of existing ones,” said Energy Minister Israel Katz, a member of the government Security Cabinet.
The call for tougher measures came after Israeli settlers stormed Palestinian groups, torching cars and buildings in retribution for a day earlier attack by Hamas gunmen. On Tuesday, four Israelis were killed when Hamas gunmen opened fire on a roadside restaurant near the Eli settlement.
According to Palestinian health officials, one Palestinian was killed and at least one other was badly injured during the attack. Following the killings, residents of a number of other Palestinian communities reported settler attacks, and senior ministers in Netanyahu’s government urged for a full-scale military campaign across the West Bank.
According to Yaqoub Oweis, chairman of the village council of Al-Lubban Al-Sharqeya near Ramallah, a large group of settlers destroyed a gas station, orchards, a cement factory, and dozens of cars. He described the incident as unprecedented and unusual. He went on to say that there was a lot of firing, but we couldn’t tell whether it was from settlers or soldiers because of the darkness.