Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz labeled Israel’s reaction to a current spate of violence as a "war against ISIS-style Muslim extremist terror."
Katz told local media, "We are in an emergency situation, there are murderers here who are motivated by hatred and we cannot allow Jews to continue to be harmed."
"There is an intifada of incitement and we must restore deterrence, we must understand our current reality."
On Wednesday, Katz, a member of the Knesset, announced he would file a bill calling for the expulsion of family members of "terrorists."
The announcements come in the wake of three attacks in Israel on Tuesday that left one American university student dead and 13 others severely wounded. The American citizen, along with 10 others, fell victim to a Palestinian who went on a stabbing rampage in Jaffa and Southern Tel Aviv Tuesday night.
Only hours before the stabbing incident, two Israeli Border Police officers were shot by a gunman near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. Minutes later, in Petah Tikva, another Israeli was stabbed.
The Petah Tikva victim was quoted as saying, from Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus, "We must go on with our lives, I trust in the police, the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and in the meantime we must cope with all of this."
Not everyone in Israel has the ability to express calm and patience in the face of terror. Zionist Knesset member Tzipi Livni declared, "it must be understood that if we continue in the same manner, the wave of terrorism will not disappear and the conflict will continue to sweep into Israel."
As tensions escalate, the Israeli military announced full-scale closure of the West Bank villages of Zawia and Auja, further isolating already impoverished communities from receiving much-needed aid.
On Wednesday, Hamas celebrated the "heroic" attacks, declaring that the actions prove that the current wave of Palestianian violence cannot be thwarted.
Palestinian attackers have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans since October 2015, in a series of stabbing, shooting, and automobile attacks. During the same period, Israeli Defense Forces have killed in reprisal at least 177 Palestinians, 119 of whom Israel claims were terrorists.
