Netanyahu considers revoking residency of East Jerusalem Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu recently raised the possibility of canceling the residency status of some of the 80,000 Palestinians who reside in East Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the controversial separation barrier, sources in the prime minister’s bureau have said.
The report came amid a wave of terror attacks against Israelis and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. In the latest incident, a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli soldier on Monday and was shot in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the army said, without giving details on the attacker’s condition.
The army “thwarted an attack in Hebron when a Palestinian attempted to stab a soldier. Responding to imminent danger, IDF forces on site fired at the perpetrator,” a statement read.
Earlier on Monday, a Palestinian man stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli in the southern West Bank before being shot dead, the army said.
“The assailant stabbed the Israeli in the neck, wounding him severely. The attacker was shot on site, resulting in his death. The wounded victim is now being evacuated for emergency medical care,” a statement from the military read.
Netanyahu’s remarks were made during a cabinet meeting that took place two weeks ago about how to deal the escalating violence in the city and preventing East Jerusalem residents from carrying out attacks on Israelis.
According to the sources, the prime minister said that Israel should consider revoking the resident status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and called for a separate meeting to discuss the matter.
“There is no enforcement there, no law,” Netanyahu said, according to Israel’s Channel Two. “We need to examine the possibility of canceling their residency. There needs to be a discussion about it.”
Netanyahu said the Palestinians in those neighborhoods do not fulfill the duties of Israeli residents but do enjoy the rights that the State of Israel gives them, officials in the prime minister’s bureau said.
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