Palestinian man dies attacking Israeli forces, woman shot

Hours later in the same area, the military said troops shot a Palestinian woman as she tried to stab a soldier.

Local residents, however, dispute the army’s claims that the woman – identified as 18-year-old Hadeel Hashlmon – had attacked a soldier.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said the Palestinian man was killed by an explosive device he meant to toss at a military vehicle.

There are concerns that violence could flare during the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday which begins at sundown on Tuesday and the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday which starts on Wednesday evening and continues until Sunday.

While Israel originally offered Palestinians citizenship, most refused as they do not recognize Israeli control over east Jerusalem, which they say must be the capital of an eventual Palestinian state. Uri Ariel, Israel’s Agriculture Minister, ascended what the Jews call Temple Mount and the Muslims refer to as “Al Haram al-Sharif” (“The Noble Sanctuary”) on which Al Aqsa compound is located. Elements that incite with baseless, wild provocations – to the effect that Israel is trying to prevent Muslim prayer on the Temple Mount or wants to destroy the mosques, or other wild things that are being said – it is they who are inciting.

“Just yesterday, 18 Palestinians [in Jerusalem] were arrested“, said Rafat Sub Laban, advocacy coordinator of Addameer Prisoner Support Network, told Al Jazeera. “Over Rosh Hashana more than 150,000 people visited the Old City and we’re expecting the same numbers in the next few weeks”.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of Palestinians believe that Abbas, 80, should resign, according to the poll by the respected Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research.

Last month, Israel imposed harsh restrictions on entries into the al-Aqsa Mosque, which limits the entry of Palestinians into the compound.

Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds and the besieged Gaza Strip and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.

Anger was amplified on Tuesday when a Palestinian teen was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier in the West Bank.

It came after four days of clashes this week, including Friday, when a rocket fired from in the Islamist Hamas-controlled Gaza struck a parked bus in the southern Israeli town of Sderot without causing casualties.

Israel yesterday approved giving Jewish names from the Torah to Palestinian streets in an attempt to give a Jewish appearance to the holy city, Arabs48 reported.