Israel Rejects International Monitoring Plan in East Jerusalem

On the eighteenth day of the new security crisis between Israel and Palestinians, while street violence apparently subsided somewhat on Sunday, October 26, the Israeli government rejected France's proposal to deploy international forces in the sensitive eastern part of Jerusalem and the West Bank, describing it as giving a 'reward to terrorism.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem that Israel's approach to the 'Holy Temple Mount' is to find a solution, not a problem, and that none of the laws and regulations have changed, asserting that Israel is the only party that has diligently and responsibly maintained these sites. Netanyahu added, 'The only thing that has changed in this area is that the Islamic Movement has brought explosives into mosques and attacked Jews.' He also stated that his country is 'dealing with the wave of street violence that has engulfed Israel and will legally pursue the Islamic Movement.' After two weeks of deadly violence, France had proposed the deployment of international forces in Al-Aqsa and the West Bank during a Security Council meeting on Friday. Meanwhile, France has not yet completed its draft plan, but according to Israeli media, Netanyahu has tasked his National Security Advisor, Eyal Hulata, to confront such proposals internationally from now on. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian observer at the United Nations, stated during the Security Council meeting that sending international forces is a necessity to overcome the crisis. In the meantime, Israeli media report that despite a relative decrease in attacks, on Sunday, October 26, a Palestinian from the West Bank and three Arab teenagers living in Jaffa near Tel Aviv were arrested on suspicion of attempting terrorist acts. On Saturday, October 25, in five knife attacks by Palestinians, two Israeli soldier girls were lightly injured, and an average male soldier was injured, while four of the five Palestinian attackers were killed, one of whom was a 16-year-old girl. Two weeks prior, a series of severe street violence primarily manifested as stabbings by Palestinian youths against Jewish passersby and passengers on Israeli buses, met with severe Israeli responses resulting in the deaths of attackers. Simultaneously, Israeli media report ongoing clashes between stone-throwing youths and Israeli forces in various locations in the West Bank and the Gaza border with southern Israel on Sunday. Following the increase in Israeli security measures against what Hamas leaders have called the 'Liberation Intifada of Jerusalem,' hundreds of additional Israeli security forces have been deployed at bus and train stations and intersections since Sunday to enhance the sense of security among the public and respond quickly to knife-wielding attackers. The Israeli public is increasingly worried about the continuation of such attacks, and minimal foot traffic is observed in public centers. At the same time, Israeli media reported that mayors of some cities in the country, fearing continued Palestinian attacks, have limited the working hours of Arab workers in schools to times when students are not present. However, this decision faced severe criticism from moderate and leftist Israeli forces who called for the immediate cancellation of this order. Two thousand Israeli peace supporters also gathered on Saturday night in central Jerusalem, calling for strengthening peace instead of succumbing to recent violence. Similar demonstrations were held by peace-supporting Israelis advocating for peaceful coexistence alongside Arabs in other cities on Saturday night. Concurrently, several prominent Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails issued an open letter to Palestinian youths and young people urging them to refrain from knife attacks. The prisoners stated that the method of stabbings against the Israeli people tarnishes the decades-long struggles of Palestinians and portrays them in the global public opinion like ISIS forces. The Palestinian security prisoners wrote in their letter, 'We want you alive for the future of Palestine.' In this context, negotiations for U.S. defense aid to Israel are being resumed.