In a separate incident later in the morning, a 16-year-old Palestinian tried to stab Israeli forces at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank and was shot dead, the army said. Over the past five months Palestinians have killed at least 30 Israelis and Israeli forces have killed more than 180 Palestinians, a majority of whom were shot after allegedly carrying out attacks on Israelis.
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A police statement Thursday said authorities would penalize those helping illegal residents “to the fullest extent of the law, including [measures such as] filing indictments, closing businesses and confiscating vehicles”.
Earlier today two Palestinians from the Kfar Aqab neighborhood of Jerusalem were killed by police after opening fire on a bus outside of the Old City seriously wounding one, said Israeli police.
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”.
On the Israeli leg of his Middle East tour, Mr Biden criticised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for not condemning the murder at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Other police units on the scene shot at the suspects, killing them, Samri said.
A spokesperson for Hadassah hospital later saidoth Israeli officers had been hit in the head.
The decision on the new measures was taken in an overnight consultation with Israel’s top security officials, a few hours after a Palestinian stabbed to death a USA tourist and wounded 11 others in Jaffa, outside Tel Aviv.
Biden held talks with Abbas later on Wednesday in the West Bank town of Ramallah but they made no comments to reporters after the meeting.
Biden’s first talks in Israel and the Palestinian areas in six years have been marred by a spate of attacks since his arrival on Tuesday.
The panel also decided on a “wide scale” revocation of work permits for Palestinians, which enable them to work in Israel.
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Around the same time that Biden arrived at the Peres Center, the Palestinian terrorist carried out the Jaffa attack just down the road.
