Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday promised a “vigorous” response to two attacks carried out by Palestinians in East Jerusalem, in one of which seven Israelis were killed.
“Our response will be vigorous, swift and precise,” Netanyahu declared before a meeting of his national security cabinet. “We are not looking for an escalation, but we are prepared for any scenario,” he added.
The two attacks occurred in East Jerusalem, in the context of a spiral of violence that began on Thursday with an Israeli incursion into the occupied West Bank, in which nine Palestinians were killed.
Israeli security forces were placed on a state of high alert, amid international calls to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, will travel to the region next week, where he will discuss with the leaders of Egypt, Israel and the West Bank “the steps to be taken to reduce tensions,” the State Department reported.
Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister between 2009 and 2021, returned to power last month at the head of a coalition that includes right-wing parties and ultra-Orthodox Jewish formations.
On Saturday, he promised “accelerated processes” for the closure and demolition of houses belonging to the perpetrators of anti-Israeli attacks, denounced by the NGOs for the defense of human rights as measures of collective punishment.
He also proposed facilitating the carrying of weapons by civilians and suppressing the social benefits of “families that support terrorism.”