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Israel tightens security measures after deadly Palestinian attack

Xinhua, February 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israeli forces carried out a "wave of arrests" overnight and blockaded a Palestinian village after a deadly attack in Jerusalem on Wednesday, military officials said Thursday.

A military spokeswoman told Xinhua that five people were arrested in Qabatiya, a village in the northern West Bank that was home to the assailants in Wednesday's attack.

Another 16 Palestinians were detained elsewhere in the West Bank for "security reasons," the spokeswoman added.

She said that no one could enter or exit Qabatiya until further notice due to "situation assessments." The closure, which was imposed on Wednesday night, remained in place on Thursday morning.

Such internal closures were common during the 2000-2005 "Second Intifada," a period of intensified Israeli-Palestinian violence, but Israel has rarely used this measure during the recent wave of violence.

Palestinian media reported that the overnight raid triggered clashes between stone-hurling youths and Israeli troops. Israeli fire and teargas reportedly injured at least three Palestinians.

Wednesday's shooting and stabbing attack near East Jerusalem's Old City left a 19-year-old female Border Police officer dead and another 20-year-old female officer severely wounded. The three Palestinian attackers were then shot and killed by Israeli police.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri identified the three as Ahmad Nasser, Ahmad Abu-Alrob, and Muhamad Kamil, all residents of Qabatiya.

Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with security chiefs and decided to increase the number of troops deployed in the northern West Bank.

Israel Radio reported that the government will consider additional steps, including separating the Jerusalem area from the rest of the West Bank and revoking Israeli working permits from relatives of attackers.

Israeli media described the attack as an "escalation" after a nearly five-month surge of Palestinian attacks claimed the lives of 26 Israelis and one U.S. citizen.

In the same time, at least 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, mostly after allegedly carrying out or attempting attacks.

Israel has been accusing the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the violence, while the Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israeli control of their lands. Endit