Palestinians given collective punishment following shooting

Israel said Thursday it had suspended entry permits for 83,000 Palestinians during Ramadan following a shooting in Tel Aviv that killed four people.
“All permits for Ramadan, especially permits for family visits from Judea and Samaria to Israel, are frozen,” said a statement from COGAT, the unit which manages civilian affairs in the occupied West Bank.
It said that 83,000 Palestinians would be affected, adding that 200 residents of Gaza who had received permits to visit relatives during Ramadan would also have access frozen.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office said it rejected violence against civilians.
The presidency said in a statement it has “rejected repeatedly all operations that affect civilians from whichever party it comes from, and whatever the justifications.”
“Achieving a just peace and creating a positive climate is what will contribute to removing and reducing the causes of tension and violence in this region.”
Israeli police say thousands of officers will fan out across Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday to control worshippers. Thousands of Palestinians are expected to show up at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site for the prayers on the first Friday in Ramadan.
Surveillance video seemingly from the moment of the attack that spread online showed the two assailants, dressed in black suits and ties, calmly walking into a cafe before pulling out guns and opening fire on its terrace.
Most patrons fled in panic, though some fought back at the cafe at Sarona Market in Israel's commercial capital.
At one point, one of the attackers violently threw a handgun to the ground as two victims lay motionless on the terrace.
Five people were wounded in addition to the four killed.

Source: Arab News