Netanyahu Asks Attorney General to Authorize Sniper Fire Against Stone-throwers
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Netanyahu asks attorney general to authorize sniper fire against stone-throwers - Diplomacy and Defense
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein on Thursday approved the use of the Ruger American Rifle by police against certain rock-throwers in Jerusalem.
Previously, the IDF was allowed – in certain circumstances – to use a low-powered Ruger sniper rifle to contain violence in the West Bank. But until now police were prohibited from using the weapon in Jerusalem.
The regulation is expected to only apply to more dangerous cases of rock-throwing, although not all of the specifics were made public. The police have also increased checkpoints and brought in reinforcements in unstable areas around the city.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recently announced war on ock-throwing follows a wave of violence by Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Multiple human rights groups complained about the new more aggressive rules of engagement for the Jerusalem police as well as new checkpoints set up around certain east Jerusalem neighborhoods.
“The outcome of legalizing fire on rock-throwers in Jerusalem would be the legalizing of taking Palestinian minors’ blood,” B’Tselem said Thursday.
The human rights group said despite the Ruger’s less lethal character, it could still be deadly or cause serious bodily harm. It added that Weinstein’s decision would “not lead to the result the government is seeking, that of claiming the area, rather the opposite, to deadly outcomes and to widening the circle of violence.”
Honing in on prior incidents in the West Bank, B’Tselem also argued that the use of the Ruger by security forces on the ground has gone beyond the official rules leading to deadly situations, and its use should be reduced, not expanded. B’Tselem said the order contradicted the conclusions of the 2000 Or Commission, which opposed the use of live fire of any kind for crowd control, limiting the use of live fire to instances of imminent danger
A-G approves police use of Ruger rifle against rock throwers in Jerusalem