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Jewish student stabbed in Jerusalem amid holy site ban for politicians
Palestinians killed and Israelis stabbed in another day of violence
(about 5 hours later)
A Palestinian teenager has stabbed a Jewish seminary student in Jerusalem as the Israeli prime minister barred all cabinet ministers and lawmakers from visiting a holy site in the old city in an effort to calm tensions that have gripped the country for weeks.
A Palestinian has died after being shot in clashes with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem, as another day of violence saw four stabbing attacks on Israelis and raised fears of further escalation on Friday, when thousands of Palestinians will enter Jerusalem’s old city to pray.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker stabbed the 25-year-old Israeli in the neck, wounding him seriously, before police apprehended him. It was the latest act of Palestinian violence in a week in which bloody attacks have killed four Israelis and injured several others.
Ahmad Bitawi, the director of Ramallah hospital in the West Bank, said Wissam Jamal, 20, had arrived with a bullet wound to the chest. Witnesses in the Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem said clashes had broken out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces.
Separately, police in Tel Aviv shot and killed a man who attacked four Israelis with a screwdriver, while two Israeli soldiers were stabbed in separate incidents and a Jewish student was stabbed in Jerusalem.
There are fears that the increasingly violent clashes will erupt before Friday prayers at al-Aqsa mosque, access to which has been heavily restricted in past weeks.
Israeli police have begun installing metal detectors around the entrances to the old city and on some streets inside. Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, urged residents with gun licences to carry their weapons at all times.
“Given the current escalation in the security situation, those with a licensed firearm who know what to do with it must go out with [their weapon] – it’s an imperative,” Barkat told Army Radio. “In a way, it’s like military reserve duty.”
Related: Violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories – the Guardian briefing
Related: Violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories – the Guardian briefing
Binyamin Netanyahu’s move to calm the situation appeared to put the Israeli leader on a collision course with hardliners in his governing coalition. They have been putting intense pressure on him to respond to the surge in violence with a tough crackdown and increased settlement activity.
In an effort to calm the tensions, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, banned all Israeli cabinet ministers and MPs from visiting the hilltop compound that houses al-Aqsa mosque. The site is revered by Muslims as the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and by Jews as the site of the two Jewish biblical temples.
But Netanyahu is also wary of angering the US administration and risking another fully fledged uprising with too tough a response that could lead to a higher number of casualties on both sides.
The move has put the Israeli leader on a collision course with hardliners in his governing coalition, who have been putting intense pressure on him to respond to the surge in violence with a tough crackdown and increased settlement activity. Several Arab members of the Knesset said they would defy any ban.
The Jerusalem hilltop compound lies at the heart of recent tensions. It is revered by Muslims as the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and by Jews as the site of the two Jewish biblical temples.
In the first attack on Israelis on Thursday, a Palestinian stabbed a 25-year-old man in Jerusalem, leaving him in a serious condition. The 19-year-old attacker was arrested. Later in the day, an Israeli soldier and three passersby were stabbed in Tel Aviv and the attacker was killed.
Many Palestinians believe Israel is trying to expand Jewish presence at the site, a claim Israel adamantly denies and considers slanderous. Under a longstanding arrangement administered by Islamic authorities, Jews are allowed to visit the site during certain hours but not pray there.
In a third attack, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli near the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba in the West Bank, the military said. The victim was seriously wounded and the attacker fled. And on Thursday evening a soldier in the northern Israeli town of Afula was stabbed and his attacker captured, authorities said.
The latest Israeli-Palestinian unrest began about three weeks ago as Palestinians repeatedly barricaded themselves inside the al-Aqsa mosque, located at the sacred site, and hurled stones, firebombs and fireworks at the police. The violence later spread to Arab neighbourhoods of east Jerusalem and to the West Bank, and on Tuesday there were disturbances in Jaffa, a largely Arab area of Tel Aviv.
Four Israelis and seven Palestinians have been killed over the past week. Hundreds of Palestinians have also been wounded in demonstrations and clashes across the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Even with Thursday’s stabbing attack, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said he would not allow his people to be “dragged” into more violence with Israel. Speaking to business leaders in the West Bank city of Ramallah, he said he was committed to peaceful popular resistance though he backs the protesters who have barricaded themselves inside al-Aqsa and clashed with Israeli police.
The latest unrest began about three weeks ago as Palestinians repeatedly barricaded themselves inside the mosque and hurled stones, firebombs and fireworks at the police. The violence later spread to Arab neighbourhoods of east Jerusalem and to the West Bank, and on Tuesday there were disturbances in Jaffa, a largely Arab area of Tel Aviv.
He insisted the Palestinians are not interested in a further escalation but that his “hands are with those who are protecting al-Aqsa mosque”.
Many Palestinians believe Israel is trying to expand Jewish presence at the site, a claim Israel adamantly denies. Under a longstanding arrangement administered by Islamic authorities, Jews are allowed to visit the site during certain hours but not pray there.
Along with the four Israelis killed in stabbings by Palestinian attackers and a roadside shooting in the last week, five Palestinians, including three of the attackers, have also been killed. On Wednesday, new stabbings occurred outside a crowded mall in central Israel, in a southern Israeli town and in the old city of Jerusalem.
Related: Is a third Palestinian intifada on the way – or has it already begun?
According to an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Netanyahu ordered the ban on the holy site because he was concerned that any high-profile visits there could spark further violence.
In 2000, then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary shortly before the second Palestinian intifada erupted.
Netanyahu’s ban, which initially only applied to Jewish lawmakers, sparked an angry response from Uri Ariel, a cabinet minister from the pro-settler Jewish Home party, who recently visited the site and drew Palestinian claims of a provocation. He said the decision was “unfathomable” and that he would take the issue up directly with Netanyahu.
Responding to the pressure, Netanyahu later updated the ban to include all lawmakers. That, in turn, sparked angry threats from several Arab lawmakers who said Netanyahu had no moral authority over them. Two of the lawmakers have already announced that they plan to visit the site on Friday.
With the attacks spilling into the Israeli heartland, Netanyahu has warned Israelis to be on guard.
Jerusalem’s mayor, Nir Barkat, a former military officer and licensed gun owner, defended his decision to carry a weapon during a visit this week to an Arab neighbourhood and, on Thursday, encouraged other licensed gun owners to carry their weapons at this tense time.
“One of the advantages Israel has is that there are many veterans of military units with operational combat experience,” he said. “Having a weapon increases the resident’s confidence.”
In related developments, Jerusalem’s junior high and high schools went on strike on Thursday to protest the lack of security on campuses. Barkat said the city’s students had been “abandoned” and that it was irresponsible to send them to school with the threat of violence looming.
