Netanyahu promises rapid & precise reaction to synagogue incident
World
Extra battalion dispatched to West Bank as reinforcement, military spokeswoman for Israel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) Israel s military moved additional troops into the occupied West Bank on Saturday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a "strong, rapid and precise" reaction to a fatal Palestinian gun incident near a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
In the incident on Friday, seven people died, and two more were injured. On Saturday, the city was the scene of another shooting.
As he met with his security cabinet, Netanyahu declared, "We are not seeking escalation, but we are prepared for any eventuality. We will seek an increase in weapons permits for licensed people to protect against street attacks."
In Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood under Jerusalem s Old City walls, a 13-year-old Palestinian kid opened fire on a group of Israeli bystanders on Saturday, injuring two before being shot and injured by one of them, according to police.
The assaults, which took place at the conclusion of a month of escalating hostilities, come in the wake of an Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Jenin that claimed the lives of nine Palestinians, including seven gunmen, and of Gaza-Israeli border firing.
An extra battalion has reportedly been dispatched to the West Bank as reinforcement, according to a military spokeswoman for Israel.
However, there were no indications that Israel was getting ready for a major operation, and its brief cross-border conflict with Gaza concluded without any deaths.
On Monday U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is due to arrive for a two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank, where clashes have worsened for months.
