Israel to seal off parts of East Jerusalem in bid to quell escalating violence

Israel gave police authority to seal off Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem on Wednesday and will deploy soldiers on main roads to combat the worst spate of violence across Israel, Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank in years. At a meeting of the security cabinet that finished in the early hours, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also allowed revocation of residency rights of Palestinians deemed to have committed “terrorism” and a step-up in the demolition of homes of people who carry out attacks. Seven Israelis and 30 Palestinians, including children and attackers, have died in two weeks of violence including stabbings, shootings, car rammings and security crackdowns that have stirred memories of past Palestinian uprisings.

Locking down East Jerusalem neighbourhoods will infringe upon the freedom of movement of all Palestinian residents rather than being a narrowly tailored response to a specific concern.

Human Rights Watch

Israel’s minister for Jerusalem affairs, Zeev Elkin, told Israel Radio the measure was for security and did not herald a political division of the city. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state, together with Gaza and the West Bank. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The cabinet also approved an expansion of the national police, extra guards on public transport and the deployment of army units in “sensitive areas” along the steel and concrete barrier that separates the West Bank.

I will go there soon, at some point appropriately, and try to work to re-engage and see if we can’t move that away from this precipice.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

Middle East Jerusalem