Israel orders boost of paramilitary to face off continuous violence

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a massive boost of border police reservists in Jerusalem and across mixed Jewish and Arab cities, amid Israel's efforts to quell the spreading violence throughout the country.

The office of the prime minister said in a statement on Saturday night that Netanyahu authorized the mobilization of 13 border police companies in the upcoming week, in addition to three that have already have been mobilized over the weekend.

The amount of extra guards of the paramilitary unit could reach up to 1,300 to 2,000 more, the Times of Israel website reported. The Ynet news website reported that the forces would spread throughout Jerusalem and around mixed Jewish and Arab cities.

The move came after a week of spiraling violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Four Israelis died in stabbing attacks in the past week and more than 10 Palestinian died, some in protests with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, while others were shot dead by security forces after allegedly committing stabbing attacks.

More than ten stabbing attacks against Israelis took place in the past three days.

Dozens of Israelis were wounded in the attacks in varying degrees, with more than 1,000 Palestinians wounded in the past week.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 568 Palestinians were wounded in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in clashes with Israeli security forces on Saturday, out of which 26 were injured by live fire, 148 by rubber bullets and 408 by tear gas.

The current violence escalation also swept Arab Israelis out to the streets in protest against the Israeli government and the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Dozens of protesters were arrested in the main rallies in Ramle in central Israel and Nazareth in northern Israel, after clashing with Israeli policemen. The Israeli police said protesters threw stones at the police officers and burnt tires.

Arab Israelis are Palestinians who stayed in Israel after its establishment in 1948 and are citizens of Israel, consisting 20 percent of the country's population.

Tensions also flared in southern Israel over the weekend, along the Gaza Strip enclave, with Israeli soldiers shooting dead over a dozen Palestinians who clashes with them next to the border fence, and a rocket launched over the southern city of Ashkelon.

On Saturday evening, Palestinians launched a rocket from the Gaza Strip enclave towards the southern Israeli of Ashkelon, the Israeli army said, adding that the Iron Dome anti-missile battery successfully intercepted the rocket. No injuries or damages were reported.

Israeli media reported the military deployed another anti-missile battery in the southern town of Be'er Sheva on Saturday, along with other batteries deployed near southern communities in the past weeks. The IDF would not confirm the deployment and location of the batteries due to security concerns.

Also on Saturday evening, the Israeli army said it caught several Palestinians tried to infiltrate Israel, as clashes continue to take place near the enclave fence.

"Palestinians hurled rocks and rolled burned tires, making several attempts to breach the security fence," the Israeli military said of the Saturday incident. "Tens of suspects breached the fence, five were taken for questioning, and the others returned to the enclave," the statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) read.

IDF Spokesperson Peter Lerner said the military faces a "hostile and violent" atmosphere along the Gaza border, adding that the military "must consider any breach of the buffer zone with Gaza to be potential threat to both civilians and security forces." Endit