Israeli mayors call on citizens to carry guns for their own protection: Report

Israeli officials have reportedly called on citizens to carry firearms for their own protection.

On Wednesday, the mayor of Jerusalem municipality, Nir Barkat, asked those who have licensed weapons to carry them for protection, reported the website Arab48.com.

Prior to his call, the police chief of city of Ashdod, Noam Shekel, urged residents with gun licences to take their firearms with them when leaving their houses, the website added.

Such calls have been criticised by former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who said that shifting the responsibility of protection from state to citizen would lead to compete chaos, according to the website.

On Tuesday, a woman was shot by an Israeli in East Jerusalem. While the Israeli authorities said that she had tried to stab an Israeli settler, Palestinian sources have since said that the woman was unarmed and had scuffled with the man after he tried to remove her hijab.

Palestinians frequently complain that they do not receive equal protection under the law and that authorities look the other way when they are targeted by settlers.

At least eight Israelis were injured today, and a Palestinian shot dead at a protest. 

The issue of firearms is a contentious one in Israel where a high proportion of the population has received military training, although there are restrictions on who can buy a gun with guns largely reserved for settlers, and those working in security or law enforcement.

The Public Security Ministry’s Firearms Licensing Department estimates that there are some 170,000 private firearms in Israel, which has a population of about eight million.