4 More Israelis Stabbed; Arab Shot, Killed
by VOA News October 08, 2015
Israeli troops shot and killed an Arab who had stabbed four Israelis with a screwdriver on Thursday, amid a flurry of violent Palestinian attacks that have sparked new Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
An Israeli soldier was among the four people wounded in the attacks, which took place near a military compound in the coastal city of Tel Aviv. The assailant was shot and killed by another soldier on the scene, according to police.
Earlier, an Israeli yeshiva student was stabbed by a 15-year-old Arab assailant near a light-rail station on a main road in East Jerusalem.
Israeli medical and police officials said the victim is in serious condition, and that the alleged attacker has been arrested.
In another incident, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli in the West Bank, where fresh clashes erupted Thursday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.
Tensions between the two sides are growing mainly over the East Jerusalem holy site revered by Muslims as the al-Aqsa mosque and by Jews as the Temple Mount.
The violence has left at least four Israelis and five Palestinians dead and prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a trip to Germany that had been scheduled for this week.
Barred from holy site
Israel imposed new security measures on Thursday to halt the violence.
Prime Minister Netanyahu barred all Cabinet members and lawmakers from visiting the Jerusalem holy site, in an effort to prevent a high-profile incident that could further inflame the situation.
Following outrage by some on the Israeli right, Netanyahu later clarified that the ban was extended to both Arab and Israeli lawmakers.
"This is a mistake," said Cabinet member Uri Ariel, adding that Israel is caving in to Palestinian terror.
Ariel supports an expanded Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.
"You can't compare between the proprietors [Muslims] and infiltrators [Jews]' Arab-Israeli parliamentarian Ahmad Tibi told Israel Radio. 'They [Jewish parliamentarians] infiltrated and caused provocations and because of them there is an escalation; not because of Arab parliamentarians and worshippers who are entering the Mosque of al-Aqsa.'
Palestinians have accused Israelis of trying to restrict them from visiting and praying at the mosque -- a charge Israel denies. Arab lawmakers have vowed to attend Friday prayers at the disputed site, a move that could further inflame soaring tensions.
'Maximum alert'
Netanyahu warned Israelis to be on 'maximum alert' for more violence and trouble, after a particularly bloody day on Wednesday.
'Civilians are at the forefront of the war against terrorism and must also be on maximum alert,' Netanyahu said while visiting a police command center.
'We have known worse times than this and we will also overcome this wave of terrorism with determination, responsibility and unity,' he said.
On Wednesday, a Palestinian woman stabbed an Israeli man who then shot and wounded her in Jerusalem's Old City.
Also Wednesday, a suspected Palestinian militant stabbed an Israeli soldier in southern Israel before other soldiers shot him dead. In central Israel, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli man at the entrance to a shopping mall. Witnesses said civilians subdued the attacker before police arrived.
Protests
There have also been daily Palestinian protests throughout the West Bank and in some Israeli towns, where groups of stone-throwing young people have clashed with Israeli police.
Fresh clashes broke out Thursday between protesters and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Tekoa. A series of Israeli raids and arrests was also reported overnight near Nablus.
The violent attacks and protests do not appear to be coordinated by any particular group, but instead seem to be the work of individuals.
Tough talk from Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, along with continued Jewish settlement activity in Palestinian areas, have made the chances of a two-state peace deal remote, causing an outpouring of frustration by Palestinians.
Robert Berger contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
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