Israel to step up measures against Palestinian rock throwers

Israel on Sunday approved more measures to combat Palestinian rock throwers, as violence continues to thrive across Israeli and Palestinian territories.

Israel will set mandatory minimum sentences of four years for Palestinian rock throwers, plus substantial fines, hoping to deter Palestinians from throwing rocks, firebombs and firecrackers on Israeli citizens and security forces.

Israel has recently altered the open fire protocols in Jerusalem, allowing police forces to use live fire from Ruger rifles, which is considered less deadly than regular, against rock-throwers in life threatening situations.

In the past week, four Israelis died in stabbing attacks, and more than 10 Palestinian were killed, some in protests with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, while others were shot dead by security forces after allegedly committing stabbing attacks.

Dozens of Israelis and more than 1,000 Palestinians were also injured in the past week amid the surge in violence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday ordered boosting the deployment of border police around Jerusalem and mixed Arab-Jewish towns over the weekend. He reiterated Sunday that the recent wave of violence was triggered by incitement from the Palestinian authority, Hamas and the Islamic Movement in Israel.

The Islamic Movement in Israel aims to promote Islam among Arab Israelis and provides them with religious, educational and social services. The movement also organizes protests on the political front against the Israeli authorities.

The escalating violence has swept to Arab Israelis, who went out to the street by the thousands in protest against the Israeli government and the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

On Saturday dozens of protesters were arrested in two main rallies in Ramle, a mixed city in central Israel, and Nazareth in northern Israel amid clashes with Israeli security forces, Israeli police said.

Arab Israelis, who are Palestinians who stayed in Israel after its establishment in 1948 and are citizens of Israel, consist about 20 percent of the country's population.

Israel controls more than 2.5 million Palestinians living in East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, on lands Israel occupied during the 1967 Mideast War. No peace talks are conducted between the parties, after the last round of talks ended abruptly without results in April 2014. Endit