On Monday, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir called on the government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu to launch 50 rockets at Gaza for every rocket fired from the Strip towards Israel.
This comes as 13 Palestinian families in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of Silwan, East Jerusalem, face fears of an unknown fate, after an Israeli decision to demolish a residential building in which they have lived for more than 8 years.
"They said yesterday at the government meeting that the establishment of new settlements is the response to Hamas," Ben Gvir said - in statements he made to the "Kan" channel affiliated with the official broadcasting company, during an event in the settlements bordering the Gaza Strip.
However, he added, "This is one response, as the response must combine: afforestation, settlement, and firing 50 missiles for each missile."
He continued, "This is my vision, and I hope that the Israeli government will implement it. I am optimistic, and I know that it is a right-wing government."
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which won the confidence of the Knesset on December 29, is described as "the most right-wing in the history of Israel," and the day before yesterday, Sunday, it approved the establishment of a new settlement in the Gaza area under the name "Hanoun", to be inhabited by 500 people. family.
Demolition of homes
On the other hand, the Israeli government yesterday postponed indefinitely the demolition of a Palestinian residential building in East Jerusalem, in which about 100 people live.
The Israeli channel "Kan" said that it was decided to postpone the demolition of the building inhabited by 13 Palestinian families in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood in the town of Silwan in East Jerusalem.
Ben Gvir intended to demolish the building today, Tuesday, on the grounds of unauthorized construction, and instructed the allocation of 500 policemen to protect the demolition process.
However, after the intervention of the Israeli Prime Minister, it was decided to postpone the demolition for an unknown period, according to the same source.
The channel said that it was decided to postpone the demolition "under pressure from the US administration," and that security officials warn that carrying out the demolition amid tensions could lead to a new round of violence in East Jerusalem.
"It will happen, if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow, and if not after a week, then after two weeks, but it will happen, because there is a directive from me that the law is the law," Ben Gvir said on Monday evening, in response to the postponement of the demolition.
The residential building in Wadi Qaddum is one of 14 buildings in East Jerusalem that Ben Gvir ordered to expedite its demolition, and 7 of them have been demolished so far, according to the same source.
According to human rights centers, Palestinians in Jerusalem face great difficulties in obtaining building permits, which cost tens of thousands of dollars for each apartment.
Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations say that the Israeli authorities are trying to limit the number of Palestinians in East Jerusalem by reducing the number of building permits and demolishing homes on the grounds of unauthorized construction.
According to the Palestinian National Information Center (governmental), the number of demolished homes since Israel's occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 has reached more than 1,900 homes.