JERUSALEM MAYOR ADVISES RESIDENTS TO CARRY GUNS
The Mayor of Jerusalem today stoked a controversy by asking Israeli residents of the holy city to carry their weapons to foil any possible terrorist attacks from Palestinians. Nir Barkat's call to arms comes after several weeks of heightened tensions in which the capital was rocked by several stabbing incidents as well as violent clashes between the Israeli police and Arabs around the volatile Jerusalem compound, revered both by the Muslims and Jews alike.
A former military officer and licensed gun owner, Barkat was himself seen carrying a weapon in the primarily Arab neighbourood of Issawiya in East Jerusalem recently, saying he wanted to set an example during tense periods. Barkat said: "One advantage that Israel has is that there are quite a few ex-members of military units with operational combat experience."
"Possessing weapons increases the confidence of residents, who know that in addition to police there are many people who are not afraid to intervene. If we look at the statistics in Jerusalem and elsewhere, we see that aside from the police, civilians carrying weapons have foiled terror attacks. "They will increase the likelihood of fast intervention," Barkat was quoted. The controversial statement came against the backdrop of a deteriorating security situation which has in recent days spread from Jerusalem and the West Bank to other parts of Israel.