An Israeli woman was moderately wounded in a separate stabbing near a supermarket in the Etzion bloc of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the military said.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a review of the status of certain Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, an official confirmed Monday, a decision that could potentially strip tens of thousands of Palestinians of their Israeli residency rights.
Since October. 1, at least 60 Palestinians, 33 of whom Israel has said were assailants armed mainly with knives and in a few cases with guns, have been shot dead by Israelis at the scene of attacks or during protests in the West Bank and in Gaza.
Numerous youths leading the unrest were born under Israeli occupation and see no way out, with a moribund peace process offering them little hope of achieving their dream of a Palestinian state. The remarks aimed to illustrate Netanyahu’s belief that Palestinian incitement at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site goes back decades, but set off an uproar instead.
“Mr Netanyahu made it clear that he expects all members of the government to act accordingly”, his office said in a statement.
Meanwhile in Israel, Richard Lakin, a 76-year-old American-Israeli educator wounded in an alleged Palestinian stabbing and shooting attack on a Jerusalem bus two weeks ago, died on Tuesday of his injuries, Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital said.
Tension has been running high since the beginning of October 2015, fueled by Israel’s attempts to enforce a unilateral division of al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest place in Islam, between Muslims and Jews. Eleven of the Palestinians killed after allegedly trying to attack Israelis were from East Jerusalem, of which five were from Jebel Mukaber.
“This is a risky time for Israelis and Palestinians alike…it is not business as usual in managing the old conflict”, she told the members of the European Parliament, calling on Israeli and Palestinian leaders “to show leadership and responsibility”.
Before he died Lakin’s family put his name on a petition of 20,000 Israelis backing a lawsuit an Israeli NGO filed against Facebook for failing to remove pages that encourage the killing of Jews.
Only Muslims are allowed to pray within the compound, while non-Muslims can visit but not pray there.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied plans to change the status quo.
However, Israel and Jordan, which has custody of the site, have locked horns over who will control the installation.
Under the compromise brokered by Kerry, video cameras are to be installed inside the 37-acre (15-hectare) walled platform to help defuse tensions.
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The details are to be worked out between officials from the site’s administrator – the Islamic Trust, or Waqf – and Israeli authorities, said a senior Jordanian government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations. “Israel has already expressed its consent to start the process as soon as possible”, the statement said.
