Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “declaring war” on rock throwers and rioters following the death of an Israeli motorist.
Netanyahu held a meeting Sept. 15 with top defense and security leaders to discuss the security situation in and around Jerusalem following three days of violence on the Temple Mount, along with the death of Alexander Levlovitch, 64, who lost control of his car after being pelted with rocks near a Palestinian neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem on Sept. 13.
The car then hit a pole and landed in a ditch. Levlovitch, who was on his way home from a Rosh Hashanah eve dinner, died of his injuries. Two passengers were lightly wounded in the crash.
New measures debated at the meeting included changing the protocol for open-fire orders on rock throwers, establishing a minimum sentence for rock throwers, and levying a heavy fine on minors throwing rocks and their families. Meeting participants included the ministers of defense, public security and justice; the mayor of Jerusalem; the head of the Shin Bet security service; and the director-general of the Foreign Ministry.
“We will lead systemic changes and will set a new standard of deterrence and prevention,” Netanyahu also said.
The possibility of imposing administrative detention on rock throwers, previously suggested by the prime minister, was not discussed, Ynet reported.
On Sept. 16, Netanyahu visited the site where Levlovitch was killed. “We are declaring war on those who throw stones and bottles, and rioters,” he said. — jta