Israeli army blows up tram stop killer's home

Netanyahu promises tough action to deal with Palestinian violence

A day after two militants killed four rabbis and a policeman at a synagogue in Jerusalem, Israeli forces destroyed the house of a Palestinian who was shot dead last month after mowing down commuters with his car at a Jerusalem tram stop.

The home of Abdel-Rahman Shaloudi, 21, was blown up before dawn, the police and military said. Shaloudi was killed by police as he tried to flee after running over the commuters on Oct 22. A 3-month-old baby, a US citizen and a 22-year-old tourist from Ecuador were killed when Shaloudi rammed the stop. Seven other people were injured.

Shaloudi's home in East Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood, adjacent to the old walled city, has been a scene of confrontations since the incident, which his family has said was simply a traffic accident.

Violence in Jerusalem and other areas of Israel and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories has surged since July when a Palestinian teenager was burned to death by Jewish assailants, allegedly in revenge for the abduction and killing of three Jewish teens by Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's army has blown up or demolished militants' homes for decades but stopped the practice in 2005, saying it was counterproductive in their effort to discourage attacks. Court-sanctioned demolitions resumed earlier this year.

Tuesday's attack at a Jerusalem synagogue was the worst in the city since 2008 when a Palestinian gunman killed eight people at a religious school. The synagogue was attacked by two Palestinian cousins wielding meat cleavers, knives and a handgun.

Jewish worshippers were returning to the synagogue as people sought comfort in prayer. Gavriel Cohen said the attack showed "that our future in this world is dependent on God".

Tensions have deepened in Silwan and other areas of East Jerusalem in recent months, with near-nightly clashes between Palestinians throwing rocks and setting off firecrackers, and armed Israeli police firing stun grenades and tear gas.

The unrest has grown since the July-August war in Gaza and the movement of dozens of Jewish settlers into Silwan in recent weeks.

A push by Orthodox Jews to be allowed to pray at an Old City site that is holy to both Muslims and Jews after a decades-long ban, has also fueled anger.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would take strict measures to deal with a rising wave of Palestinian attacks.

Reuters - AP

(China Daily 11/20/2014 page11)