Muataz Khawaja, a 23-year-old Palestinian man who the militant group Hamas claimed as a member, was shot dead on Thursday night by Israeli police officers and armed civilians after allegedly carrying out a shooting attack in central Tel Aviv that injured at least three people.
This comes shortly after the suspected attacker opened fire at people outside a cafe at point blank range, before attempting to flee the scene. As of Thursday, two victims — one in critical condition and the other seriously hurt — were set to undergo surgery.
No one wants to see killings in the holy land, but it's the occupation that has caused these tragedies. Palestinians facing a state-backed campaign of ethnic cleansing are lashing out against their colonizers. Emboldened by international silence after killing more Palestinians last year than in any other year since the Second Intifada, the occupation is becoming even more violent.
This shocking gunfire in the middle of a commercial area of Tel Aviv is just the latest blatant act of terrorism carried out by Palestinians against Israelis, but Netanyahu's government is on the right path to tackle this existential threat to the nation of Israel. Security forces need to strangle the perpetrators of such crimes with strong hand and no hesitation.
There's a 44% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.