The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was inaugurated on Dec. 29, 2022, has gotten off to a difficult start.
The weeks since his Cabinet was formed saw the worst escalation in violence between Palestinians and Israelis since 2008. In response, the government unveiled a range of proposals intended to bolster security, including sealing off and demolishing the homes of Palestinian attackers; potentially stripping them of their citizenship rights and deporting them, and arresting their families; and expediting the approval of gun licenses for Israeli civilians. Netanyahu also proposed reinforcing the Israeli Defense Force presence in the West Bank.
On Jan. 28, security forces sealed the house of a Palestinian gunman who killed seven Israelis outside a synagogue the day before, following instructions from Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right minister of national security. The planned demolition is among the “strong, swift and precise” steps that the Israeli government announced in the wave of recent shootings.