Israeli Officials Weigh Harsher Steps to Curb Jerusalem Unrest

Israeli authorities are debating measures to curb rising unrest in Jerusalem, including a law that mandates “minimum punishments” for the throwing of rocks and firebombs.

 

Israeli and Palestinian officials have blamed each other for instigating the latest round of violence in Jerusalem, which has centered around the holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and Arabs as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary.

 

The site, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, is a regular flashpoint for unrest.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli police have begun implementing orders giving them wider discretion in using live fire against rioters.“Stones and firebombs are deadly weapons; they kill and have killed,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.

 

“Therefore, in recent days we have changed the open-fire orders for police in Jerusalem. Already over the weekend they used the new measures under the new orders and immediately hit those throwing stones and firebombs.”The cabinet also discussed imposing fines on parents of minors convicted of violence, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

 

 

Read More: Israeli Officials Weigh Harsher Steps to Curb Jerusalem Unrest – Bloomberg Business