“After a weekend of violence and growing tensions with the Palestinians, the government plans to ease restrictions on who can obtain a weapon, but while some applaud the move, not everyone is convinced this is the right step.” (Boggles the mind, that of all the people in this world there are Israelis who actually believe that being defenseless is a good thing!)
Late Friday night, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the scene of the attack in which seven Israelis were murdered by a Palestinian assailant outside a Jerusalem synagogue. He hugged a sobbing local resident in the crowd.
“If I was armed, I would have saved three or four people,” the eyewitness told Ben-Gvir as he cried.
Several police officers arrived at the scene minutes after the shooting began and ended the killing spree.
Hours later, a 13-year-old Palestinian shot at Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem. One of them, a soldier on leave, was armed. He immediately fired at the boy, likely preventing a wider attack. There were no Jewish fatalities in the incident and the Palestinian assailant is still in an Israeli hospital.
Reeling from this bloody weekend, the Israeli government is now planning to loosen gun laws and enable thousands of Israeli civilians to carry weapons, in addition to those who already do.
“The police cannot be everywhere,” said Itzik Chiprout, chairman of the Israeli Legal Weapon Association. “Even a swift police reaction is sometimes not enough. Civilians that are armed save lives.”
By Keren Setton
