The Israeli Security Cabinet on Tuesday decided to take the fight directly to Palestinian terrorists amid a wave of deadly attacks.
“The Security Cabinet made a series of decisions to target terrorists and those who dispatch them and authorized the prime and defense ministers to act on the matter,” said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.
“The forum supports the commanders and soldiers of the IDF and security services in their activities against the terrorist elements,” it added.
The statement did not elaborate on the measures to be taken.
This smaller forum of Cabinet members is designed to make quick and effective decisions in times of crisis.
The meeting was brought forward a week after Arab terrorists on Monday gunned down Batsheva Nigri, a 42-year-old mother of three, in a drive-by shooting near Hebron. Her 12-year-old daughter, who was sitting beside her, was unhurt.
Another individual, identified as Aryeh Leib, was seriously wounded in the attack. Leib is being treated at Beersheva’s Soroka Medical Center, where his condition has been stabilized.
On Saturday, a Palestinian terrorist shot and killed two Israelis in Huwara, located just outside Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria. Ashdod residents Silas Nigrekar, 60, and his son, Aviad Nir, 28, were shot at point-blank range at a car wash in the Palestinian village.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians suspected of involvement in Nigri’s murder.
The suspects, named as Mohammed and Sarker Shantir, were captured in Hebron along with the M-16 rifle believed to have been used in the attack.
As the Security Cabinet was taking place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, leaders of regional councils from Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley protested outside, demanding tougher action against rampant terrorism that has claimed the lives of 35 people since January.
“The situation is intolerable. We demand a change in the approach to security. The continued rise in murderous terror incidents shows the current approach has failed and should be changed quickly,” said the council leaders in a joint statement.
Netanyahu blamed Iran for the upswing in terrorism while visiting the site of the attack near Hebron on Monday.
“It must be understood that a considerable portion of this terrorist wave comes as a result of outside guidance. We are using means, and we will use yet more, both offensive and defensive, to settle accounts with the murderers and those who dispatch them, near and far,” said the prime minister.
Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate
Edited by Judy J. Rotich and Newsdesk Manager
