Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting
Photo: AFP
Israel will attack those who attack us, says Netanyahu following Jenin raid
Prime Minister praises IDF units who took part in weekend raid to arrest Hamas terrorist; he and two other Palestinians died in operation.
Israel will not hesitate to strike at those seeking to harm its population, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday, a day after IDF troops killed a senior Hamas operative in a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.
"Over the weekend our forces struck at a terrorist who had organized attacks on Israelis and was also planning attacks on innocent civilians," Netanyahu said in remarks later published on his Facebook page.
"I would like to commend the anti-terrorism unit, the IDF units involved, including the ultra-Orthodox brigade, and the ISA (Shin Bet) for carrying out a very important operation in eliminating someone who endangered Israeli citizens.
"Our policy is to attack those who attack us and who are planning to attack us. Both were applicable in this case. At the same time, we also discovered a tunnel, a Hamas attack tunnel. These items underscore the importance of strict security procedures in any future settlement."
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Three Palestinians, including wanted Hamas terrorist Hamza Abu Al-Hija, died in the raid on Saturday morning, which was followed by a clash with angry protesters.
Netanyahu also told the cabinet that Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz has drawn up a plan for improving waste disposal facilities in minority communities.
"There are deficiencies there that have built up over many years," he said, "and we plan to deal with them."
Israel has repeatedly come under criticism both at home and abroad for the disparity between infrastructure facilities in population centers for the Jewish majority and those of the Arab, Bedouin and Druze communities.
