Number of Armed Israeli Settlers in West Bank Stands at About 100,000

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to bystanders as he walks to the site of a reported attack in a settler neighborhood in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem on January 27, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to bystanders as he walks to the site of a reported attack in a settler neighborhood in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem on January 27, 2023. (AFP)
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Number of Armed Israeli Settlers in West Bank Stands at About 100,000

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to bystanders as he walks to the site of a reported attack in a settler neighborhood in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem on January 27, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to bystanders as he walks to the site of a reported attack in a settler neighborhood in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem on January 27, 2023. (AFP)

Israeli anti-violence associations have raised the alarm on the consequences of government plans for easing restrictions on settlers’ gun ownership and said that such a move will lead to more grief and hostility for generations to come.

“A previous government led by Benjamin Netanyahu took decisions to facilitate granting arms licenses in 2018, and the result was an increase in violence and murder, especially within families and against women,” said Rela Mazali, the co-founder and project coordinator of Gun Free Kitchen Tables (GFKT).

GFKT is an NGO that operates for stricter gun control and small arms disarmament.

“Data from homeland security for the year 2021 indicates that 12 people committed suicide with a licensed weapon,” said Mazali, adding that in the same year, 14 women were shot dead, including three Jewish women.

According to a recent report published by Haaretz, 86 of the 100 towns in which the percentage of those already licensed is high are settlements in the West Bank.

In settlements like Adora, Kiryat Netafim and Neghot, a third of the residents carry weapons.

Data collected by the National Security Ministry, headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, showed that the percentage of licensed weapon holders is meager in Arab towns, where unlicensed weapons are rife and sold on the black market at exorbitant prices.

Moreover, it turns out that settlements established by the Israeli government in the West Bank are also characterized by a high rate of gun owners.

In Ariel, a settlement established in Nablus, the percentage of licensed weapon holders reached 9.2%.

In Maale Adumim, a settlement established in southern Jerusalem, 6% of residents are licensed weapon holders.

Meanwhile, in bigger cities, like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, the rates are much lower standing at 1.8% at most.

About 148,000 Israeli settlers and citizens currently hold a weapon license. This number does not include security personnel, soldiers, police and guards.



Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
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Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed.

The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice," Sharaa said in a statement, AFP reported.

The attack "reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability", he added.

Condemnation has continued to pour in from the international community after the attack -- the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor, in a country where security remains one of the new authorities' greatest challenges.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.