Israeli military said Tuesday evening that it shot and killed two Palestinian men in the West Bank after they stabbed and moderately wounded an Israeli soldier.
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Hours later, another Palestinian was shot and killed by soldiers after he tried to stab an Israeli, the military said.
Anti-Israeli attacks and protests have seen 56 Palestinians and one Israeli Arab shot dead since October 1.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has called for global protection for Palestinians in the occupied territories against a background of continuing bloodshed and the absence of any hope for the renewal of peace negotiations any time soon.
Meanwhile, an Israeli woman was reportedly attacked and injured by a knife-wielding Palestinian outside a supermarket in the Gush Etzion bloc of Jewish settlements further north. The Palestinian was arrested later. More than 50 Palestinians also have died, a lot of them identified as attackers by Israeli.
Israeli police say 10 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian stabbings or shootings.
While tensions remain high, the focus of the Palestinian attacks appears to have shifted over the past few days from Jerusalem and cities across Israel to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and their frequency has also declined.
“The Temple Mount has been quiet for two weeks”.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 64 Palestinians have lost their lives since the beginning of the month.
On Wednesday, Amnesty International’s Philip Luther said that Israeli forces “have ripped up the rule book” and implemented “extreme and unlawful measures”.
“I have noted over and over again that pressure will generate an explosion, and that the violations committed by settlers and extremist, protected by the Israeli occupation forces, against our Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem”, said Abbas. Israel adamantly denies such allegations, saying they amount to incitement to violence.
He said the bodies would be buried in cemeteries reserved for attackers, “as has been done in the past”.
Kerry, who held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin on Thursday, met Abbas in Amman, where he was also due to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II, custodian of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound which has been the focal point of the unrest.
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While Israel has repeatedly said there are no plans to change this status quo, the Palestinian fears have been stoked by growing numbers of Jewish visitors, backed by a few senior Israeli officials, who seek prayer rights and an expanded presence on the mount.
