News / Palestine

Netanyahu seeks expulsion of families of alleged Palestinian attackers

Wednesday, 02 March 2016 1:42 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 02 March 2016 1:43 PM ]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested permission to deport relatives of alleged Palestinian attackers from the occupied West Bank to the besieged Gaza Strip.

The premier made the appeal in a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Wednesday, claiming that such a move “will dramatically reduce terrorist activities.”

Assailants have carried out many attacks in recent months, Netanyahu claimed, adding, they sometimes come from families who encourage their activities.

The Israeli premier also called for Mandelblit’s “legal opinion” regarding the possibility of transferring families of the purported attackers to Gaza.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Netanyahu defended the proposal on his Twitter account, claiming that such action “will lead to a significant decrease in terrorist attacks.”

Last month, a member of Netanyahu's cabinet, who is also a political rival of the prime minister, raised the initiative of deporting relatives of alleged attackers to Gaza or Syria.

The attorney general, however, rejected the measure, saying such expulsions violate both Israeli and international law.

Since the start of October 2015, nearly 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in what is regarded as the third Palestinian intifada (uprising).

Israeli forces detain a Palestinian protester during a demonstration against the closure of Shuhada street to Palestinians in the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron) on February 26, 2016. ©Reuters

The Gaza Strip, which has been under a crippling Israeli siege since 2007, has remained relatively calm during the current wave of violence in the occupied territories.

The occupied Palestinian lands have been the scene of heightened tensions. The latest wave of tensions was triggered by Israel’s imposition in August 2015 of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

The restrictions have enraged Palestinians, who are also angry at increasing violence by Israeli settlers frequently storming the al-Aqsa Mosque. The Palestinians say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.

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