Prime Minister shelves Jerusalem wall project after ministerial pressure
Cabinet opposes East Jerusalem barrier, although it decided a month ago to erect barriers at friction points at the municipality's request; minister warns of 'dangerous precedent'.
Following ministerial pressure at a security cabinet meeting Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered that the pilot project to erect a barrier in East Jerusalem be shelved and not be expanded at this point.
The security cabinet met Sunday night, prior to a terror attack in Be’er Sheva, to discuss incitement on social networks, but ultimately dealt the issue of the concrete wall erected between the Armon Hanatziv and Jabel Mukaber neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu's office said that "in addition to our announcement last week, the cabinet authorized the police to make operational decisions according to operational considerations. The police decided this and is able to make any decision."
Several ministers questioned why police set up the wall. Ministers Yisrael Katz, Naftali Bennett and Ze’ev Elkin opposed the erection of the wall, arguing. Some ministers even said it gives the impression of Jerusalem being divided.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan explained that the erection of the wall was not coordinated with him and was based on a cabinet decision made a month ago to place obstacles at friction points, before the current wave of stabbing attacks began.
Erdan said that in his opinion a decision could immediately be taken to dismantle the wall within half an hour.
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon angrily expressed a differing opinion: "With all due respect, if we can better protect police officers or civilians - this does not determine the boundaries of Jerusalem. This is nonsense. The boundaries of Jerusalem shall be determined in the Knesset.”
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said that "the wall erected in front of the houses of Armon Hanatziv divides Jerusalem and represents an achievement and a reward for terrorism. It also will not bring security and should be removed immediately. We must protect the homes through offensive action against the terrorist infrastructure and the incitement coming from Jabal Mukaber and not through the fortification of Armon Hanatziv. This is a dangerous precedent. The cabinet has never decided on erecting walls in Jerusalem."
Ministers Ze’ev Elkin and Naftali Bennett agreed with Katz’s statement, and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon also expressed doubts about the move and the way it might be interpreted.
Katz requested that the prime minister instruct others to find operational solutions, such as placing forces and snipers on the roofs of houses of Jabel Mukaber, that would act harshly against throwers of stones and Molotov cocktails.
The decision to erect the barrier was reached a month ago, before the current wave of terrorism began. Following a surge in cases of Molotov cocktails and stones being thrown, the Jerusalem municipality sought to place obstacles in several friction points in the city in accordance with the decision of the police. The Jerusalem municipality turned to the security division of the police in recent weeks and together mapped out points of friction where the barrier would be erected.
The conclusion was to erect a wall along a total length of 300 meters. The actual length of the wall erected so far was only 10 meters.
The Prime Minister's Office was quick to emphasize that the prime minister did not know about a barrier being erected and was not supposed to know. "It is a tactical police matter," the office said and noted that the Cabinet authorized the police to make such decisions and others related to security, such as a closures, barriers and the like."
