Israeli forces have nabbed four Palestinian youths, claiming that they have been involved in a stone-throwing incident on the eve of the Jewish New Year.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Saturday the four young men are from al-Quds (Jerusalem) and aged between 16 and 19.
The youth are claimed to have attacked a 64-year-old Israeli identified as Alexander Levlovitz on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah earlier this month.
The arrest came after the Tel Aviv regime moved to toughen measures against Palestinian stone-throwers in al-Quds, broadening the rules that allow Israeli military forces to target Palestinians with live bullets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the decision in a statement released on September 24.
“We have decided to penalize more severely adult stone-throwers with a minimum sentence of four years in prison and also to authorize larger fines for minors and their parents,” the statement said.
Earlier, Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein approved Netanyahu’s plan to change the rules of engagement and declare “war against stone-throwers and firebomb throwers” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The top Israeli legal official also approved the arrest of minors and children under the age of 10 who throw stones, in addition to a fine of up to 100,000 Israeli shekels (about US $26,000).
In recent months, Israeli forces have frequently raided the houses of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, arresting dozens of people, who are then transferred to Israeli prisons, where they are kept without any charges brought against them.
