Posted on 02/14/23
| News Source: Arutz-7
Following the recent wave of terrorist attacks in and around Jerusalem, the government has decided to call up three reserve platoons of Border Police in order to reinforce the city's defenses.
Kan News reported on Tuesday that the decision has yet to be authorized but that final authorization is expected to be given within the next few days.
On Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke with Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai to discuss the ongoing demolitions of illegally built homes in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem. According to unconfirmed reports, Ben-Gvir asked Shabtai for the pace of demolitions to be stepped up, but Shabtai protested that he lacked the necessary manpower.
Ben-Gvir then proposed sending IDF soldiers as reinforcements to police the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem, as occurred in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack in Neve Yaakov, so that the police usually patrolling these areas could be transferred to duty in Arab neighborhoods. Shabtai vetoed the idea, deciding instead to ask for Border Police reserves to be called up.
Interviewed on Kan Reshet Bet, Jerusalem Border Police Commissioner Amram Nidam described the current situation in the capital. "The incitement is blatant; we call all see it on social media. We're dealing with terrorist attacks as well as people who throw rocks, metal bars, and even washing machines from the rooftops. The level of incitement is very high and this is the result."