Netanyahu orders demolition of terrorists' homes after synagogue attack

Prime minister also orders significantly ratcheting up law enforcement against those guilty of incitement.

By HERB KEINON, BEN HARTMAN
Binyamin Netanyahu (photo credit: REUTERS)
Binyamin Netanyahu
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the demolition of the homes of the two terrorists who carried out Tuesday's attack in Har Nof, the most significant operational step taken in the immediate aftermath of the murders.
The directive came at an emergency security consultation Netanyahu convened in his office with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Israel Security Agency head Yoram Cohen, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and other top security officials.
In addition to ordering the demolition of the homes of the terrorists who carried out Tuesday's attack, he also gave orders to move forward with the demolition of the homes of terrorists who carried out recent attacks.
Netanyahu also ordered significantly ratcheting up law enforcement against those guilty of incitement.
Earlier on Tuesday, Aharonovitch ordered a probe to examine easing the restrictions on firearms possession, in particular for Jerusalem residents, in addition to a series of other security measures in the wake of the deadly terror attack on worshippers at a synagogue in the capital hours earlier.
The other measures include deploying four more companies of Border Patrol officers, reinforcing police patrols across the country with civil guard and police volunteers, setting up more checkpoints in Arab villages and ordering that Tuesday’s attackers be buried outside of Jerusalem. He also ordered an exam of the use of administrative detentions, the arrest without due process of terror suspects.
A spokesperson for Aharonovitch said the minister meant that they would examine easing the restrictions with an emphasis on security personnel and ex-IDF officers, but did not say it could not potentially apply to the wider public.
Currently, to receive a firearm permit you must be over 21, an Israeli resident for more than three years, have passed a mental and physical health exam, background checks by the Public Security Ministry and shooting exams and courses at a licensed gun range. The permit holder is then allowed to order a single firearm with a one-time supply of 50 bullets from a licensed dealer. They must then retake the licensing exam and undergo testing at a gun range every three years. There is also a stipulation requiring that any gun owner prove they have a safe at home to store the firearm.