THE Max Brenner restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Sarona neighbourhood was packed with diners on June 8th when two cousins from Yatta in the West Bank ordered drinks, drew makeshift sub-machineguns and opened fire. Four Israeli civilians were killed and six injured by the time the two shooters, one of whom was affiliated with Hamas, were overpowered.
Despite an initial assessment that the attackers had few accomplices and were most likely acting without the involvement of any organisation, the Israeli government’s initial response was to suspend 83,000 exit permits from the West Bank, originally issued for the month of Ramadan which began on June 6th. A ban on residents leaving town was imposed on Yatta, home to more than 60,000 Palestinians. Crossings between Israel and the West Bank were shut for three days. The Israeli army is planning to demolish the homes of the families of the two shooters.
The attacks were the first in exactly three months to have killed any Israelis. A wave of violence by Palestinians aimed at Israeli civilians began in late September before petering out after six months. At its height, there were on average two...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/22ZWEMC
EmoticonEmoticon