Just a few minutes after the diplomatic security Cabinet ended its meeting on the evening of Sept. 24, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before the news cameras. With a stern face, he presented the steps that his government would be taking in its “fight against those who throw rocks and firebombs and shoot fireworks,” noting that these steps had been approved unanimously at the meeting.
Legally, Netanyahu did not need to summon the Cabinet to approve the series of harsh measures that he had already agreed upon with Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan. He did, however, need to put on a show, if only for the sake of his image. The wave of terrorism raging in Jerusalem in recent weeks has severely damaged the capital residents' sense of personal security. Ever since the unrest began, it has figured prominently on the national agenda. The situation has gotten so serious that it threatens to undermine Netanyahu’s public standing as “Mr. Security.”
