Israel to ‘strengthen’ settlements after shooting

Mourners gather around the bodies of an Israeli couple who died in Friday’s shooting attack in east Jerusalem, on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians, including plans to beef up Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, in response to a pair of shooting attacks that killed seven Israelis and wounded five others.

The announcement cast a cloud over a visit next week by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and threatened to further raise tensions following one of the bloodiest months in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in several years. Netanyahu's Security Cabinet approved the measures in the wake of a pair of shootings, including an attack outside an east Jerusalem synagogue on Friday night in which seven people were killed.

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Netanyahu's office said the Security Cabinet agreed to seal the attacker's home in preparation ahead of its demolition. It also plans to cancel social security and health benefits for the families of attackers, make it easier for Israelis to obtain weapons, and step up efforts to collect illegal weapons. The announcement said that in response to public Palestinian celebrations over the attack, Israel would take new steps to "strengthen the settlements" this week. It gave no further details.

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