The Palestinian attacks have killed 28 Israelis and two USA citizens since October, while Israeli forces have killed at least 179 Palestinians, 121 of whom Israel says were assailants.
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While the attack was taking place the vice president was nearby in a meeting with former Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Police units at scene of attack outside the old city.
France will not “automatically” recognise a Palestinian state if a Paris initiative to host an global conference to revive Israel-Palestinian peace talks fails, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Wednesday.
Biden’s meeting with Netanyahu comes at a time of heightened tension in the U.S.-Israeli relationship following the historic nuclear accord with Iran. The gunman, riding a motorbike, was shot dead by police.
Israeli police say two Palestinian men opened fire on a bus in Jerusalem.
It is part of a crackdown aimed at reducing Palestinian stabbing, shooting and vehicular attacks that have claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and two Americans since mid-September.
Biden will travel to Ramallah in the West Bank later on Wednesday to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He was identified as a 25-year-old Palestinian man from eastern Jerusalem with no security-related record. “Please pay back 8 shekels ($2) I borrowed from my friend Muhyi al-Deen”, he added.
The attempted stabbing took place about one hour later.
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The message said, “In view of the current security environment and the possibility of future attacks”, US government employees are prohibited from visiting Jerusalem’s Old City unless “specifically approved for mission critical travel”. He plans to speak on this issue before the UN Human Rights Council later this month and to challenge UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to denounce Palestinian terrorism. Measures include closing gaps in the separation barrier that surrounds Jerusalem, revoking Israeli work permits for West Bank Palestinians, closing media organizations “that deal in incitement”, and toughening punishment for those who assist Palestinians entering Israel illegally.
