The temptation to bear arms grows in Israel after a series of Palestinian attacks

At a shooting range in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, Tomer Gal chains shots with his pistol during training that is the last step required to get his weapons permit.

How many of his compatriots worried the turning point of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians With the inexorable spiral of violence observed since one of the most right-wing governments in Israel’s history took office in late December, Gal is determined to get this clearance.

After a Palestinian attack that cost the lives of six Israelis and a Ukrainian woman in Neve Yaacov, a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, part of the Holy City annexed by Israel, the Executive announced in late January, at the request of the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir -a figure of the Israeli extreme right-, his availability speed up and facilitate the obtaining of permits for carrying firearms.

Gal had initiated the process of obtaining his permit more than a year ago, and began coming for training to the Givat Zeev shooting range, northwest of Jerusalem, two weeks after the killing of Neve Yaacov.

“It’s for my safety but also for my home,” says the 35-year-old electrician who lives in Rehovot, central Israel, after firing a 9mm pistol under the watchful eye of an instructor.

The man, who mainly employs Palestinians from the West Bank on construction sites in Israel, believes that these “are not the safest places”.

Police are calling on civilians to arm themselves

Requests for permits to carry weapons surge after attacks or “security incidents,” an official Israeli source told AFP, without providing further details.

After what happened to Neve Yaacov, the Israeli police encouraged the Israelis who meet the conditions required to initiate the procedure.

This attack “demonstrates that it is necessary and important for civilians to be armed,” Ben Gvir said after the attack, regretting the slow pace in dealing with the more than 17,000 complaints under consideration.

“It is our duty to speed up the procedure and minimize bureaucracy,” added Ben Gvir, whose slogan is to go from 2,000 permits granted monthly to 10,000 as quickly as possible.

Former army officers have been exempted from pre-interview procedures under the procedure, provisionally until May.

the necessary steps

To have the right to bear arms, Israeli law requires you to live or work in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by the Jewish state since 1967. But also it is possible to order in case of exposure to potential danger or tensions with the Palestiniansfor example in a workplace.

Former officers of the Israeli security forces are also officially authorized.

The police carry out a selection of the permit applicants, who undergo a medical examination as well as an interview with the authority issuing the authorization to the Ministry of National Security.

In case of authorization after the interview, the candidates obtain the right to purchase a firearm. Training and obtaining a shot are therefore required to be permitted to carry a weapon.

Gal says his decision to acquire a weapon was made after the 11-day war in May 2021 between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip.

The conflict led to a wave of knife attacks against Israelis. Violent riots erupted in mixed Jewish-Arab towns in Israel. “That affected things,” she pointed out.

In Givat Zeev, Yair Yifrach, owner of the shooting range, has seen an increase in interest in guns since the latest Palestinian attacks and an increase in purchases.

After the 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas, the population “woke up,” he said. “Even those who didn’t want to have a gun realized they needed one,” she added. “We are not in Switzerland.”

Source: AFP

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