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2 Israelis stabbed in Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian seriously shot amid tensions

Xinhua, October 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Israeli-Palestinian tensions continued Wednesday, with the latest incidents in which two Israelis were stabbed in Jerusalem and a young Palestinian seriously shot and wounded near the West Bank.

Police said a Palestinian woman stabbed and lightly injured two Israelis near the Lions' Gate of Jerusalem's Old City of Jerusalem Wednesday.

One of the victims managed to pull out his gun, shot the Palestinian perpetrator and critically wounded her, reported Israeli Radio.

Following the incident, the Damascus Gate of the Old City closed its doors for all visitors, police said.

Also on Wednesday, a 18-year-old Palestinian man was shot and seriously injured in clashes with Israeli settlers east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, according to medical sources.

Security officials in the West Bank said the Israeli army and police arrested around 40 Palestinians in the cities of Hebron, Nablus, Jenin and Qalqilia in the West Bank and in east Jerusalem.

Residents said Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes in those cities, damaged properties, humiliated the residents and threatened the residents with an iron fist if their children keep throwing stones at the soldiers.

Clashes has escalated since the Jewish holiday season last month, and spread throughout east Jerusalem and the West Bank, involving Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters as well as Jewish settlers and Palestinians.

Palestinian medical services reported that over 700 Palestinians have been treated following clashes with Israeli security forces. Most were wounded by rubber bullets and suffered smoke inhalation due to tear gas used by the Israeli army to disperse protestors.

Amid fears of a third Palestinian intifada, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that he is not interested in an escalation. Israeli and Palestinian security officials reportedly met Tuesday to coordinate their operations, reported the daily Ha'aretz.

Violence persisted Wednesday but on a smaller scale, with local clashes and sporadic rock and firebomb hurling, specifically near east Jerusalem.

Last week Abbas announced before the United Nations that amid Israel's violation of signed agreements, the Palestinian authority is therefore no longer bound to any agreements with Israel.

The agreements regulated Palestinian self-rule in some of the West Bank territories and attuned security cooperation between security forces.

Israel occupied the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War. The land is slated to become the future Palestinian state according to a two-state solution. Endit