'If violence continues, Israel to begin banishing Palestinians to Gaza'

The remarks came against the backdrop of a noted decrease in the number of acts of violence in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel proper on Friday.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: OCTOBER 16, 2015 21:59
Palestinian protesters put out a fire burning on a compatriot, caused by a Molotov cocktail which he was trying to hurl at Israeli troops in Hebron (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian protesters put out a fire burning on a compatriot, caused by a Molotov cocktail which he was trying to hurl at Israeli troops in Hebron
(photo credit: REUTERS)
"If the terrorist attacks continue, we will begin deporting the families of terrorists to the Gaza Strip," Channel 10 TV quoted a senior Israeli defense official as saying on Friday.
The remarks came against the backdrop of a noted decrease in the number of acts of violence in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel proper on Friday.
While security officials are pleased at the initial signs of a waning uprising, intelligence experts cannot say for certain when this latest wave of Palestinian violence will end.
Israel's political establishment, however, is mulling additional punitive measures against the families of Palestinian assailants in the event that more acts of violence are perpetrated against Jewish civilians and security personnel.
According to Channel 10, the civilian and military leadership in Jerusalem both agree that the Palestinian Authority is making efforts to clamp down on violent incidents.
Israeli officials believe that expelling the families of Palestinians to Gaza as well as revoking residency permits of Arabs in east Jerusalem will have a sufficiently deterring effect on those seeking to cause mischief.
Meanwhile, Palestinian security sources told Channel 10 that Hamas operatives in the West Bank are intensifying their efforts to execute "a large and significant terrorist attack" that would elicit an Israeli response.
According to Palestinian officials, the military wing of the ruling Fatah faction, the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, is expected to begin taking an active role in the unrest.