A police commander Noam Shekel echoed mayor Barkat’s call to arms Thursday, urging Jerusalem residents in a town hall meeting to carry weapons if they own them “in order to increase the sense of security in the city”.
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Maan also reported that 12 Palestinians were injured Thursday in live fire by the Israeli army during clashes in the West Bank and that 59 have been hurt by rubber bullets.
Four new stabbings wounded Israelis Thursday and an assailant was shot dead as a spate of such attacks spread fear and defied attempts by authorities to contain Palestinian unrest.
Five people were injured in an attack earlier today near the Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Israel says the arrested Palestinians shot and killed the Israeli couple in front of their four children in a drive-by attack last week.
In all, the Palestinian Red Crescent reports that 399 Palestinians were wounded Wednesday in incidents in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Netanyahu is under heavy pressure, particularly from hard-liners in his governing coalition, to respond with a tough crackdown. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the injuries were not serious.
The holy site, which is revered by both Muslims and Jews, has been at the heart of clashes in the country.
Palestinians fear increasing visits by Jewish groups to al-Aqsa are eroding longtime Muslim religious control there. He said whoever deploys violence will be brought to justice.
Also on Wednesday in Jerusalem’s Old City, not far from the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, police said an 18-year-old Palestinian woman stabbed a 35-year-old Jewish man in the back and lightly wounded him.
One of the assailants was shot and wounded by the man she injured, another was killed by police and a third was arrested unharmed, security officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to try to ease tensions on Wednesday night, declaring that no Jewish members of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) would be allowed to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
In military raids in the West Bank, Israel kills two Palestinians, including a 13-year-old, within 24 hours. If we look at the statistics in Jerusalem and elsewhere, we see that aside from the police, civilians carrying weapons have foiled terror attacks.
According to eyewitnesses in Jerusalem, a 18-year-old Jerusalemite girl was shot by an Israeli settler who attempted to physically assault her and remove her head scarf.
A Jewish youth stands on a balcony in Jerusalem’s Old City – AP Israeli emergency personnel stand at the scene of a stabbing in Jerusalem – REUTERS Israeli emergency personnel stand at the scene of a stabbing in Jerusalem October 8, 2015.
“Israel should abide by global standards and immediately cancel the loosened rules of engagement for police”, Stork added, referring to a recent Israeli government decision to allow troops to use live ammunition against stone-throwing protesters.
The Israel Defense Forces said the clashes in Gaza took place when “200 Palestinians approached the security fence in the Northern Gaza Strip”.
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In a statement from Geneva on Thursday, the United Nations human rights chief appealed for calm, warning that “more bloodshed will only lead to more hatred on both sides” of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. Three others were killed during clashes with Israeli security forces, including a 13-year-old near Bethlehem.
