In the wake of several stone-throwing incidents on Temple Mount and other areas in and around Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has granted permission for police to use live sniper fire. The use of the lethal weapons in violent clashes in the West Bank have not previously been permitted, with police using non-lethal measures to help curb riots, including tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.

However, as protests intensify over Israel’s dominance of the al-Aqsa site in Jerusalem’s Old Town, Benjamin Netanyahu has given his consent for police to use snipers to quell riots.

The Times of Israel cited Netanyahu vowing the change the rules of engagement with Palestinian youngsters engaged in riotous behaviour.

“We decided to change policy and wage war on stone throwers, bottle throwers, firecrackers, shooters and those who disrupt the peace – quite simply a change,” the Israeli Prime Minister said.

The decision has generated a wave of condemnation. Talking to RT, Palestinian-American journalist Ramzy Baroud spoke of the potential danger the use of snipers could create.

“This is an extremely dangerous escalation on the part of the Israelis. What they are basically saying is that every Palestinian youth stone-thrower, which seem to be the youth under the age of 1 and 16, is an enemy combatant,” Baround warned (1).









Extreme Measures

James Patras of Binghamton University shares Baround’s concerns, telling RT:

“This is an extreme measure taken by Israel essentially in line with its violent occupation of the Palestinians in violations of their human rights” (1).

However, Patras and Baround are not the only ones to be marking their condemnation of Israel’s decision to “declare war on stone-throwers.”

According to a report on Counter Current News, Anonymous hactivists from Red Cult have voiced their disapproval by decimating Israeli military, police and government websites (2).

According to Counter Current News, Anonymous Red Cult had contacted them, admitting that their huge hack of the Israeli sites is a direct response to the government’s disturbing decision to sniper stone throwers and arrest children who pick up stones in their own Palestinian territories.

Counter Current News claims Anonymous wrote: