Palestinian terror attack suspect. Photo: Sdot Negev Security.

Israeli security officials have moved away from considering banishing West Bank Palestinian terrorists and their families to the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported on Monday.

According to the report, security officials are concerned that expelling West Bank Palestinians would be both ineffective and potentially harmful for Israel.

Anonymous defense sources told Israel Radio that while such measures had been taken in the past, they were not effective in reducing Palestinian terrorism.

The comments came after Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said expulsion was one of the steps being considered by Israeli security officials.

Ya’alon also said late last week that defense officials are unsure whether the current wave of terror, which has resulted in the death of 19 Israelis and one visiting US citizen, as well as at least 90 Palestinians, many of whom Israel says were killed committing attacks or during riots.

Israeli news portal nrg reported last Monday that Israel’s top defense officials, including Ya’alon and IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, had sat down to a meeting to discuss possible security measures to combat the current outburst of Palestinian terrorism, among them expelling Palestinian terrorists’ families to the Gaza Strip.

Davidi Perl, the head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, which is responsible for providing municipal services to tens of thousands of Israelis living the constellation of Israeli settlements between Jerusalem and Hebron, backed evicting Palestinians from the West Bank to Gaza.