The decision was made at the conclusion of an emergency cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his justice minister, Ayelet Shaked, to form a committee whose mandate will be to legally expedite the razing of homes belonging to Palestinians who perpetrate acts of violence against Israelis, it was announced late Monday night.
The decision was made at the conclusion of an emergency cabinet meeting whose aim was to discuss the government’s response to the escalating riots in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories.
Home demolitions is just one of a series of steps the government resolved to take late Monday. Israel will boost the number of soldiers and police in the territories if and when the need arises.
The authorities also will deploy thousands more police officers in Jerusalem. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the police will have latitude to quell rioting even if it means entering the heart of Arab neighborhoods in the eastern part of the capital.
“Nobody will have immunity, anywhere,” Netanyahu said.
The premier emphasized that Israel intends to preserve the status quo on Temple Mount – a statement meant to convey to Jordan that there are no plans to permit Jews to enter the complex for worship.
Israel will also advance plans to pave roadways meant to serve as detours around high-friction areas in the Palestinian territories. Rioters will also be subjected to administrative detention, the cabinet said.
The prime minister demanded action against those engaged in incitement to violence on social media. He also called for the arrest and prosecution of store owners in the Jerusalem’s Old City who witnessed the stabbing attack that left two ultra-Orthodox Jews dead on Saturday evening.
“We will not accept a situation where a Jewish woman is stabbed and not only do people not bother to help her but they also curse her and kick her,” Netanyahu said. “We will prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”
As reported by The Jerusalem Post