Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited two Jerusalem hospitals on Sunday morning to meet people injured in two terror attacks in Jerusalem that took place less than 24 hours apart. Netanyahu visited the victims of the shooting outside of a synagogue in a Jerusalem neighborhood that left seven dead, including a 14-year-old boy and an immigrant from Ukraine, and the victims of a shooting by a 13-year-old east Jerusalem neighborhood that left a father and son and an Israeli army officer visiting the area seriously injured. The visits were announced at the weekly Cabinet meeting where Netanyahu also said: “While we are not seeking escalation, we are prepared for any possibility. Our answer to terrorism is an iron fist and a powerful, swift and precise response.”
To read more about the aftermath of the attacks in Jerusalem and of the Israel Defense Forces operation in Jenin the night before that left 9 Palestinians dead, see Israel, Palestinians Await Blinken as Bloody Violence Spirals [1].
Late on Saturday night Israel’s Security Cabinet concluded a meeting and announced “a series of steps to fight terrorism and exact a price from terrorists and those who support them,” according to a statement issued at the end of the meeting. Among the six steps announced in response to the attacks are “steps to strengthen settlement that will be submitted this week,” taken “in response to the abhorrent attacks and the celebrations in their wake.” No other details were provided. The cabinet also announced that firearm licensing for civilians will be “expedited and expanded in order to enable thousands of additional citizens to carry weapons.” The steps also include sealing the home of the shooter in the Friday night attack ahead of imminent demolition; revoking national insurance rights and additional benefits for “the families of terrorists that support terrorism”; and legislation on the revocation of Israeli identity cards “of the families of terrorists that support terrorism.” The steps also include “reinforcement of military and police units, expanded arrests and focused operations to collect illegal weapons will be carried out.”
Following the meeting, the entrances to the home of the shooter in the Friday night attack located in At-Tur neighborhood of east Jerusalem were sealed by the Israel Police, Border Police and the Israel Defense Forces. Also on Saturday night, an armed Palestinian man attempted to infiltrate the northern West Bank settlement of Kedumim, which is located near Nablus, just minutes before midnight. The man, who was brandishing a handgun, was confronted by a settlement guard who shot and killed him. The some 5,000 settlement residents were ordered to remain in their homes until it was determined that there were no other gunmen.