Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened last night (Saturday) the political-security cabinet following the attacks in Jerusalem. The Prime Minister brought for discussion and approval in the Cabinet a series of measures as part of a response to the attacks that happened last night and this morning. According to a senior defense official, the purpose of the gathering was to bring about a quick and powerful response, following on from what had already been done in the past day.
Lurking behind the cars and shooting at passers-by: documenting the moments of the attack in the city of David
The terrorist attack in the capital: this is how it happened, minute by minute
At the end of the special discussion, the political-security cabinet announced that it had made a series of decisions on measures to fight terrorism and exact a price from the terrorists and their supporters:
- The house of the terrorist who carried out the terrorist attack in Jerusalem will be immediately sealed in preparation for its demolition.
- Deprivation of rights in the National Insurance and other benefits for families of terrorists who support terrorism.
- The denial of identity cards to the families of terrorists who support terrorism – according to the law will be discussed tomorrow at the cabinet meeting.
- Adding thousands of gun-carrying citizens through speeding up and expanding the licensing of firearms.
- Steps to strengthen the settlement that were brought in this week, in response to the attacks and the celebrations that followed them
- Reinforcement of police and military forces, arrests on a large scale and targeted operations to collect illegal weapons.
The Prime Minister brought several resolutions to the Cabinet for approval, among them: reinforcement of forces in the territories of Judea and Samaria, immediate sealing of terrorists’ homes (which was not the case in the past), arrests of family members and associates (which is already being carried out), promotion of expediting licensing and budgeting of thousands of weapons for civilians, as well as promotion of a family deportation law Netanyahu invited Shas chairman and Knesset member Aryeh Deri as an observer at the debate, and the latter agreed to his invitation.
“The sealing of terrorist houses in an expedited procedure”
At the beginning of the debate, Netanyahu said: “On behalf of all the citizens of Israel, I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of those murdered in the heinous and terrible attack in Jerusalem, our capital. This is a criminal attack at the entrance of a synagogue on International Holocaust Day. I thank the President of the United States, my friend Joe Biden, who spoke with me and expressed Shock and condolences from this horrible act of murder. I also thank many other leaders, including from Arab countries, for standing by Israel at this time. We all pray for the peace of those injured in the two attacks.”
“I would like to praise the police and the security forces for their determined and quick action, as well as the resourcefulness and bravery shown by ordinary citizens, who hit the terrorists and thus saved lives,” Netanyahu said and promised: “Our response will be strong, quick and precise. Whoever tries to harm us – we We hurt him, and everyone who helps him.”
The Prime Minister also said that “we have already made extensive arrests of terrorist supporters, aides and instigators. We deploy forces, we increase forces and we do it in different arenas. We will seal and destroy terrorists’ houses in an expedited procedure, in order to exact an additional price from those who supported terrorism. This process already started yesterday and is in the middle of it.”
“I will bring to the cabinet tonight additional measures to combat terrorism. This includes speeding up and significantly expanding gun licensing for authorized citizens. As we have seen time and time again, including this morning, this thing saves lives. I will also bring to the cabinet the denial of rights in the National Insurance from families who support terrorism This government will act firmly, decisively, and powerfully against terrorism. And we will do so calmly and decisively. We are not looking for escalation, but we are prepared for any scenario. I call again to the citizens of Israel: Do not take the law into your hands. We are not in the days of the underground. We have a sovereign state, With an excellent army, government and security forces. Let them do the job,” he added.
“The world leaders were shocked by the murderous terrorism”
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen addressed the attacks before the start of the cabinet discussion. “I thank the dozens of leaders from around the world, including from Arab countries, who were shocked by the murderous terrorism and sought to comfort the people of Israel and strengthen our hands,” said Cohen. I instructed all Israeli missions to demand that the leaders in all countries stand up against the incitement of the terrorist organizations and the Palestinian Authority, because it is the one that motivates and encourages terrorism.”
He added that “the criminal incitement resulted in the heinous murder of worshipers at the entrance of a synagogue on Shabbat Eve, International Holocaust Day. The attacks are another painful proof of the importance of the activity of the Israeli security forces against the Palestinian terrorist organizations and it prevents further attacks and saves lives. We will act hard and aggressively and take steps forward Let them increase deterrence in order to restore security to the citizens of Israel.”
Galant held a situational assessment with senior officials of the defense establishment
Earlier, Defense Minister Yoav Galant held a special situation assessment at a classified security facility in the center of the country, with the participation of Chief of Staff Hartzi Halevi, the head of the Shin Bet Ronan Bar, the director general of the Ministry of Defense and other security officials.
Gallant received an overview of the details of the latest events and the intelligence efforts taking place in the field, and instructed to examine a series of immediate actions against the individual threats and their families, and to tighten the measures against them. The Minister and the Chief of Staff agreed on the reinforcement of forces to assist the Israel Police in the required areas.
Gallant said at the end of the assessment of the situation: “I instructed the security establishment to increase defense efforts with an emphasis on the surrounding area of Jerusalem and to increase deterrence and prevention actions against anyone who is involved in or plans to harm civilians. I instructed the professional ranks and legal elements in the security establishment to examine a series of options for imposing sanctions against the terrorists and their families. We will not allow a situation in which a person who receives rights from the State of Israel, murders Israeli citizens and remains a resident of the State.”