Israel on Thursday suspended entry permits for 83,000 Palestinians granted during Ramzan following a major terror attack at an upscale market in Tel Aviv, the deadliest in the recent spate of violence that killed four Israelis and injured 16 others.
The decision to suspend the entry permits, most of them for Palestinians to visit their family in Israel, was taken overnight during a meeting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Avigdor lieberman and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff lt Gen Gadi Eisenkot soon after the attack.
Permits for Gaza residents to pray at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, described by Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) that houses the al-Aqsa mosque, have also been suspended.
Netanyahu, who visited the scene of the terror attack late last night, called the attack “a savage crime of murder and terrorism” and convened a meeting of the security-diplomatic cabinet at the defence headquarters to discuss possible further steps in response to the terror attack.
“There was a very difficult event here, of cold-blooded murder by heinous terrorists,” the Israeli Prime Minister said adding, “We held a discussion on a string of offensive and defensive measures that we will take to act against this phenomenon, the grave phenomenon of shooting. It is definitely challenging us and we will respond to it.”
“There will be firm action by other security elements, not only to locate anyone who cooperated with this murder, but also to prevent further actions. We will act firmly and intelligently,” he stressed.
Major General Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of Government activities in the territories ordered overnight to also suspend 204 entry permits given to the families of the perpetrators of Wednesday’s
terror attack.
According to Palestinian reports, the IDF surrounded the South Hebron Hills town of Yatta, the hometown of the assailants, and has declared the area a closed military zone.