The government is considering a number of pieces of legislation to curb the ongoing terror wave, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed during the coalition’s weekly meeting on Sunday.
One proposal under consideration would enable Israel to relocate the families of terrorists from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. The measure would be an alternative to the Prime Minister’s plan to deport terrorist families to the Gaza Strip.
That proposal, which was criticized by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and the White House is still under review. Netanyahu noted that he expected a response regarding the bill’s legality soon.
“I expect an answer from the Attorney General to my query regarding the expulsion of terrorists' families to Gaza,” said Netanyahu on Sunday.
“At the same time, we are studying moving the residences of terrorists' families within Judea and Samaria.”
The government is also looking to address the large number of Palestinian Authority Arabs illegally residing inside Israel. Legislation targeting employers who illegally hire or aid such residents is among the proposals being considered.
“We will fast-track legislation this week to punish those who employ, assist and house people who are present in Israel illegally. It must be understood that a large proportion of the attackers were present in Israel illegally or infiltrated into Israel illegally.
Last week an American citizen was murdered by an Arab illegally residing in Israel during a terror attack in Jaffa.
Netanyahu also noted the government’s recent efforts to clamp down on anti-Semitic incitement in the Palestinian Authority, including attempts to remove the “Al Aqsa” TV channel from satellite service.
“We are taking action against media channels that encourage the murder of Israelis and Jews. Over the weekend I spoke with French President Francois Hollande… and requested that the French broadcasts of the 'Al Aqsa' channel be taken off the air, and the channel was indeed removed from these satellites, but it went back to broadcasting via another satellite.”
“Over the weekend the IDF closed Islamic Jihad's radio station in Ramallah, which had incited against Israel. There is no question here of freedom of the press, but of halting incitement to murder.”
Incitement against Jews is common in Palestinian Authority media and online social networks, and has been a major factor in the ongoing terror wave. Vice President Joe Biden recently acknowledged the serious problem of incitement while meeting with the son of an American terror victim.