JENIN, West Bank—A recent spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians is worsening after two gun attacks in Jerusalem and a wave of Israeli raids in the West Bank.
The deteriorating situation has raised concern among world leaders and poses the first major security test for Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
‘s new right-wing and religiously conservative government, which came to power last year amid an aggressive military campaign to weed out militants in the occupied West Bank. Since then, near-daily raids by Israeli security forces have led to a rising Palestinian death toll. A spate of Palestinian terrorist attacks in Israel threatens to cause further instability ahead of a Monday visit by U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken,
the latest U.S. official to head to Jerusalem in recent days.
Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet Sunday morning approved a series of measures he said would curb terrorism, but analysts say they could also inflame tensions with Palestinians. These include stripping the families of accused terrorists of national-insurance benefits and advancing a law to revoke their Israeli citizenship, expediting the demolition of their homes, and steps to strengthen settlement building in the West Bank.
The moves follow the deadliest attack in Jerusalem since 2008. On Friday night a 21-year-old Palestinian gunman opened fire outside a synagogue, killing seven people and injuring another three. The next morning, a 13-year-old Palestinian Jerusalemite shot and injured two Israelis. Israeli authorities described the shootings as acts of terrorism. The attacks were praised by Palestinian leadership and sparked celebrations across the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestinians threw rocks at an Israeli army bulldozer Thursday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Photo:
zain jaafar/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Critics of Israel’s current effort, including some in the country’s security establishment, say Israel needs to rethink how its military can disengage from…
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