Israel seals family home of Palestinian shooter as Netanyahu enforces a crackdown

Israel to punish families of Palestinian attackers

Israel has sealed the home of an east Jerusalem man who killed seven people outside a synagogue, in a preliminary step ahead of the expected demolition of the building, as two Palestinian men died from Israeli fire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet approved an order to seal the home of a second Palestinian shooter — a 13-year-old boy who wounded two Israeli men in east Jerusalem on Saturday.

His Cabinet also took steps toward approving other punitive measures against the families of Palestinian attackers, including potentially stripping them of citizenship rights and deporting them.

The moves by Israel, along with escalating violence, further raised tensions as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in the region.

Mr Blinken’s high-wire diplomatic act, focused largely on restoring calm, begins Monday after he completes a brief visit to Egypt.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli police sealed up the east Jerusalem home of a 21-year-old Palestinian attacker who killed seven people and wounded three outside a synagogue on Friday night during the Jewish Sabbath.

The attacker was shot and killed by police.

“We sealed the home of the terrorist who carried out the horrendous attack in Jerusalem, and his home will be demolished,” Mr Netanyahu told his Cabinet.

Read the article in The New Daily (AAP)