“Once again the flames of despair, fuelled by hate, represent a serious threat in this Holy Land”, a statement from the patriarch Archbishop Fouad Twal (above) says, calling on ‘Israelis and Palestinians to act with courage and return to the negotiating table’.
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Video footage of the clash showed Israeli undercover soldiers dressed as masked Palestinians appearing to take part in the stone throwing before suddenly drawing their concealed weapons and turning on the Palestinians to carry out arrests.
The announcement followed Wednesday’s attack in Jerusalem’s Old City where an Israeli civilian shot a Palestinian woman after she stabbed him, according to Israeli police and medical officials.
Four Israelis have been killed in Jerusalem and the West Bank in the past week, and several Israelis were injured Wednesday and Thursday amid several stabbing attacks by Palestinians.
Four Israelis were killed last week in shooting and stabbing attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, while Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, amid violent protests.
With the attacks spilling into the Israeli heartland, Netanyahu warned Israelis to be on guard.
Farther north, hundreds of Palestinian protesters clashed with the Israel Defense Forces near the West Bank settlement of Beit El.
That site has been at the heart of the recent tensions.
Israeli commentators have discussed the possibility that a third Palestinian Intifada (uprising) is on its way and Netanyahu’s move to block politician visits to the flashpoint site is aimed at easing tensions.
The Murabitat, which means “steadfast”, believe along with many other Palestinians that Israel plans to demolish the mosque and build a Jewish temple in its place.
Under the current rules, Jews are allowed to visit the compound during set hours – but not pray there.
Barkat, who himself is a licensed gun-owner, issued the call for those who now hold gun licenses in the city.
But on Wednesday, new stabbings occurred outside a crowded mall in central Israel and in a southern Israeli town. At least six Palestinians were reported wounded Thursday by rounds from low-velocity sniper rifles which security forces have been authorized to use against riot ringleaders.
“The al-Aqsa plaza is occupied territory that, according to the status quo, is managed by the King of Jordan and the Muslim Waqf, and Netanyahu has no legal or moral authority to ban Arab MKs from going to the mosque”, he said, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Three new stabbings wounded Israelis on Thursday and an assailant was shot dead as a spate of such attacks spread fear and defied attempts by authorities to contain Palestinian unrest.
High schools in Israel’s capital called a strike on Thursday over what they termed lax security standards in the wake of the violence sweeping the country. His office said he was a former military officer and licensed to carry the weapon. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) Israeli police check the papers of a Palestinian woman in Jerusalem’s Old City Thursday, October 8, 2015.
“One of the advantages Israel has is that there are many veterans of military units with operational combat experience”, he said.
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While saying he was not in favour of violence and wanted to avoid confrontation with Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised those “defending al-Aqsa”.
