With Jerusalem caught in one of its worst fits of violence for years, Israel is contemplating punitive measures against the Palestinians, which may inflame the situation even further. With Jewish extremists encroaching repeatedly against the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Palestinians retaliated with attacks in which knives and cars were used as lethal weapons. Unless the Netanyahu government takes measures to relieve tensions, matters are likely to get out of hand, Israeli security officials warned. For the past few months, Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem have become the scene of frequent confrontations between inhabitants and Israel's security forces. A few days ago, two Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) attacked a synagogue in West Jerusalem, killing five worshippers and wounding eight. In retaliation, the Israeli government decided to arm the city's Jewish population and revoke the residence permits of all Palestinians living in East Jerusalem who are implicated in acts of violence. Israeli Internal Security Minister Yitzhaq Aharonovich decided to facilitate gun permits for members of the Israeli public to confront what he called the security deterioration in Jerusalem. In addition, an armed outfit called the Civil Guard was created in Jerusalem to assist the police in providing protection to vital buildings and public spaces. For the next three months, gun permits will be issued to settlers wishing to carry guns, and security guards will also be fully armed. Retired servicemen wishing to carry guns will also be allowed to do so. Two days after the new measures were announced, 300 Israelis volunteered for the Civil Guard in Jerusalem, a service that will allow them to carry weapons and use lethal force. Israeli Interior Minister Gilad Erdan has also vowed to strip any East Jerusalem inhabitant implicated in violence of their residence in Israel. Those who lose their cards will have to move to the West Bank. In the first such move, Erdan withdrew the permanent residence of Mahmoud Nadi, a young man who played a part in an attack in Tel Aviv in 2001. In a press statement released Sunday, Erdan's office said the residence permit of Mahmoud Nadi was revoked due to his role in an attack on the Dolphinarium (a nightclub) in Tel Aviv, in which 21 people were killed. Nadi spent 10 years in prison for helping transport the bomber, Said Al-Hawtari, who was a member of the Ezz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades. Israel issued residence cards to Arab inhabitants of East Jerusalem when it occupied the city in 1967. These cards do not grant holders citizenship rights, although they come with some social security benefits. Some Palestinians who refused to leave their land in 1948 were given Israeli citizenship. They now amount to 20 per cent of the country's population of eight million. According to diplomatic sources, the recent attacks in Jerusalem led to the cancellation of a secret meeting between Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jordan. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the same sources said that US Secretary of State John Kerry had prepared for a summit between Abbas and Netanyahu, but the meeting was cancelled due to the mounting violence. Abbas is currently considering a petition to the UN Security Council to “end the occupation”, a move strongly resisted by Washington. To dissuade the Palestinian president from this action, the Americans promised to come up with a plan for negotiations that incorporate some Palestinian demands. But renewed peace efforts are unlikely in the near future as the crisis in Jerusalem threatens to morph into a larger confrontation. A few days ago, Kerry renewed promises to impose financial and political sanctions on the PA if it went ahead with “unilateral” measures, including the above-noted petition to the UN Security Council. Amin Maqbul, secretary-general of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, says that Israel even threatened to occupy Ramallah, the seat of the PA. “Kerry told Abbas that Israel may seize Ramallah if the Palestinians continue to attack Israeli targets,” said Maqbul. The Israeli government is blaming Abbas for the current wave of violence. “The aggression is the result of the instigation by PA President Mahmoud Abbas,” said Netanyahu after a recent attack. But most Israeli security officials believe otherwise. Some publicly noted that Abbas cannot be blamed for the current spate of violence, and many noted that Israel's retaliatory measures might backfire. Yoram Cohen, chief of the Shin Bet, the Israeli domestic security agency, doesn't believe that Abbas is responsible for the recent escalation. Speaking at a Knesset hearing, Cohen said that Abbas “doesn't support resistance in any secret or public form. But there are people in the ranks of the Palestinians who may interpret his statements as a justification of violence.” Cohen urged Knesset members to refrain from visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque and advised legislators against any change in the site's legal status, as this may “turn the Palestinian-Israeli conflict into a religious one”. Former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin also dismissed as groundless claims that Abbas was fomenting violence. In an article published in Yedioth Ahronoth, Diskin said that Abbas was keen to cement security cooperation with Israel despite three wars waged by the latter against Gaza. “As someone who stood against the first Intifada and the Al-Aqsa Intifada, and has taken part in special operations and wars, I say that the reasoning of the right-wing that calls for using more force against Palestinian resistance is twisted,” he wrote. According to Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel, Israeli security chiefs are unanimously opposed to any form of collective punishment measures in Jerusalem. Security chiefs, Harel added, have particularly advised against deploying the army in Palestinian neighbourhoods.
