JERUSALEM — Israel imposed travel restrictions Thursday on tens of thousands of Palestinians and sent hundreds of troops into the West Bank in response to a deadly shooting at a popular Tel Aviv tourist spot.
But as the nation’s leaders vowed tough responses, they stopped short of taking wider-scale military action.
The attack has presented Israel’s newly configured Cabinet, and its new defense minister, with its first big test. A relatively muted response by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet reflected the lack of options that Israel seems to have as it grapples with a nine-month wave of violence.
The shooting, carried out by two West Bank Palestinians, was among the deadliest and most brazen attacks since violence erupted last September. Tel Aviv’s Sarona district, a popular shopping and restaurant area, was packed with people enjoying a warm evening outdoors when it was targeted late Wednesday. Four people were killed.
After Thursday’s Security Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu went to the site of the attack and said Israel would prevail in its struggle against Palestinian militants.
“This nation is strong. They will not defeat us,” he said, accusing Palestinian leaders of failing to condemn the attack. “That just reminds us who and what we face. We will win.”
Netanyahu has repeatedly blamed Palestinian incitement for fueling the ongoing violence. The Palestinians say the fighting stems from frustration over nearly 50 years of Israeli military occupation.
In the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement condemning violence, but made no direct reference to the Tel Aviv shootings.
“The presidency has repeatedly emphasized that it stands against attacks on civilians, regardless of their sources or justifications,” the statement said.
Abbas, an opponent of violence, has stopped short of explicitly criticizing attacks on Israel, arguing that Israel bears responsibility for the bloodshed and wary that he could be seen as weak by his people.
In Israel’s initial response to the shooting, COGAT, an Israeli defense body, said Thursday that it had frozen 83,000 permits for Palestinians in the West Bank to visit relatives in Israel during the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Special Ramadan permits were also suspended for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
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