Police arrest 177 Palestinians residing in Israel illegally

Latest sweep follows Tuesday terror attacks by West Bank residents who were in the country without permits

In a nationwide sweep Thursday, police arrested 177 Palestinians residing in Israel without permits, as well as 26 Israelis charged with helping them enter the country or employing them illegally.

The sweep followed Thursday’s security cabinet decision to immediately seal off gaps in the security fence in the Jerusalem area and to complete construction of the West Bank barrier in the area of Tarkumiya, south of the Hebron Hills.

Israeli security agencies are cracking down on Palestinians entering Israel illegally in the wake of three bloody attacks in Jerusalem, Petah Tikva, and Jaffa on Tuesday that killed an American tourist, Taylor Force, and wounded dozens more.

Two of the three Palestinians who carried out the attacks did not have permits to be Israel. The third was an East Jerusalem resident. All three attackers were killed.

File: Vanderbilt graduate student Taylor Force was killed Tuesday, March 9, 2016 in a terror attack in Tel Aviv- Jaffa. (Facebook)

In the security cabinet meeting Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior ministers received updates on further measures being undertaken to curb a six-month wave of Palestinian terror attacks since October, his office said in a statement.

Among the steps on the agenda were fast-tracking legislation to increase penalties for those employing or assisting Palestinians who illegally enter Israel from the West Bank, shutting down Palestinian media channels which broadcast incitement to terror against Israelis, expanding prosecution against those who incite, the cancellation of work and trade permits held by family members and close acquaintances of terrorists, as well as cutting down the time it takes authorities to demolish the homes of terrorists.

A knife used in a stabbing attack in Petah Tikva on March 8, 2016. The victim took the knife out of his neck and used it to stab his attacker. (Israel Police)

The late-Thursday sweep included 341 sites nationwide, police said in a statement. It follows a Wednesday operation that saw 250 illegal residents arrested, alongside some 30 Israelis charged with helping them enter the country.

A police statement Thursday said authorities would penalize those helping illegal residents “to the fullest extent of the law, including [measures such as] filing indictments, closing businesses and confiscating vehicles.”

In all, twenty-nine Israelis and four foreign nationals have been killed in a wave of Palestinian terrorism and violence since October. Some 180 Palestinians have also been killed, around two-thirds of them while attacking Israelis, and the rest during clashes with troops, according to the Israeli army.