Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Saturday promised new steps to strengthen illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Observers and analysts fear an increase in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, occupied after the prime minister’s plans to make it easier for Israelis to acquire firearms.
Netanyahu said he would speed up gun permits for Israeli citizens and step up efforts to collect “illegal weapons.”
These announcements came after a meeting of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, overloaded with hardline politicians, over two shootings that included an attack in occupied east Jerusalem.
The shootings took place towards the end of a month of escalating confrontation and following an Israeli raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin that killed nine Palestinians.
In all, Israeli forces have killed 32 Palestinians this month.
The new Israeli government, inaugurated last month, is the most right-wing in the country’s history and has raised fears among Palestinians living under the illegal Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and in Israel proper, as well as among left-wing Israelis.
The new government includes National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom are outspoken supporters of expanding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and the annexation of Palestinian land. They are known for inciting violence against Palestinians.
“You have the national security minister who has made it very clear that he believes in killing Palestinians, you have a finance minister who has made it clear that [los palestinos] they are only here temporarily,” Haifa analyst Diana Buttu told Al-Jazeera.
“And you also have a prime minister who makes it clear that people must be armed and that they will do nothing to stop the killing of Palestinians. The recipe is that more and more Palestinians are going to be killed.”
According to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, more than 200 Palestinians were killed in 2022. The United Nations said it was the deadliest year for Palestinians in 16 years.
In none of those cases [de palestinos asesinados], not a single one, an investigation was opened leading to charges,” Buttu said. And he added that in more than 90% of the attacks that settlers undertake against Palestinians “the police do nothing, the army does nothing, they just close the file, no charges are filed.”
Yara Hawari, senior policy researcher at the Shabaka think tank, called the announcement “a worrying escalation that will undoubtedly lead to more attacks and more extrajudicial killings of Palestinians.”
“With this move, Netanyahu is giving the green light to all Israelis to inflict violence on the Palestinians with complete impunity,” Hawari said.
Buttu added that Israel is already “armed to the teeth” and that “shooting at Palestinians is very common.”
“It is not at all uncommon to see Israeli settlers walking around not only with pistols but also with assault rifles. It is quite common, be it in the mall, on the bus, on the train, in religious places to see people carrying weapons, ”he stressed.
“The problem here is that it’s not just about arming people. It’s just that this government has always given the Israelis the green light to go ahead and shoot the Palestinians.”
Al Jazeera/Associated Press/OnCuba.
