Israel to take punitive steps against Palestinians after deadly attacks

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced a series of punitive steps against Palestinians in the wake of the deadliest terrorist attack in Jerusalem in years in which a gunman killed seven people outside a synagogue.

All of the measures are illegal under international law, and are likely to inflame tensions with the Palestinian public and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls parts of the occupied West Bank, at a time when the region already stands perilously close to escalation.

On Sunday, an armed Palestinian man who approached a settlement in the Nablus area was shot dead, and houses and cars were damaged and set alight in Palestinian villages near Ramallah.

Early on Sunday, Israeli police sealed off and prepared to demolish the family home of the synagogue gunman, who was shot and killed as he fled the scene. Alqam Khayri, 21, is believed to have acted alone; while Palestinian militant groups praised his actions, none have claimed responsibility for the attack. A total of 42 people, including family members, have been arrested in relation to the incident.

Netanyahu will receive the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, for a long-planned visit to Jerusalem on Monday which now looks set to be dominated by efforts to de-escalate the combustible security situation.