Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a series of punitive steps against Palestinians, including plans to beef up Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, in response to a pair of shooting attacks that killed seven Israelis and wounded five others.
The announcement has threatened to further raise tensions, following one of the bloodiest months in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in several years.
Mr Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet, which is filled by hardline politicians who support further Israeli settlements in the West Bank, approved the measures after a pair of shootings that included an attack outside an east Jerusalem synagogue on Friday night (local time), in which seven people were killed.
Mr Netanyahu’s office said the Security Cabinet had agreed to seal off the attacker’s home immediately ahead of its demolition.
It also plans to cancel social security benefits for the families of attackers, make it easier for Israelis to get gun licences and step-up efforts to collect illegal weapons.
The announcement said that in response to public Palestinian celebrations over the attack, Israel would take new steps to “strengthen the settlements” this week.
It gave no further details.
Watch the report from ABC TV News.