After a terrorist attack at a Tel Aviv killed four people last night, Israeli authorities wasted little time in responding.
Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the response to the attack would “be with action and not words”, and the attackers' hometown in Yatta, near Hebron in the West Bank, has been sealed off.
Typically, the crackdowns will affect many more people than just those responsible. Some 83,000 Palestinians who had permissions to travel out of the West Bank and Gaza for Ramadan will have their permits revoked, dashing hopes to visit Jerusalem’s holy places, family hometowns, or the sea. Some 83,000 people will be affected.
The denial of permits to leave occupied areas is a point of huge contention among Palestinians living under occupation: many were expelled from what’s now Israel on its founding in 1948, and religious sites in Jerusalem are deeply significant to both Muslims and Christians.
Among some Palestinians, however, the response to the ban was more defiant than disappointed.
Ehab Awaysa: Let's say it again: screeewwwww getting permission! And screeewwww whoever is upset about Israel taking away permission!
Applying to Israel for permission to cross the wall can be a long and difficult process, and for many Palestinians it’s nearly impossible. Some regard even engaging with the process as “normalisation” of occupation, and object to any interaction with Israel or Israelis.
Who cares? We'll get in whether they like it or not! This country is ours, not theirs!
In the absence of reliable legal routes to get into Israel, many in the West Bank find other ways out: jumping the wall, sneaking through gaps in the border, or smuggling themselves through less stringent checkpoints. Some commenters praised the attacks.
Smuggling is nicer.
Muhammad Abushkadem: Four pigs is enough... And later whoever wants to go can just jump the wall since that's still easier than getting permission [from the Israelis]!
Qasim Barghouti: Really it's easier, at least there's no traffic!
In Tel Aviv, Israelis made their own show of defiance: today, the Max Brenner cafe, where the shooting took place, was full. As the cycle of violence and punishment continues, it looks there’s not much that can shock either side.
