Israeli-Palestinian Violence Soars

The attack in Kiryat Arba near Hebron occurred at around noon on Friday, when a Palestinian man stabbed a police officer stationed there, inflicting minor injuries. In the context of Arab-Israeli violence it refers to a concerted Palestinian attempt to shake off Israeli power and gain independence.

These are the first Palestinians to be killed in clashes in the Gaza Strip since the escalation of violence between Palestinians and Israelis on October 1st. At least 171 Palestinians were wounded in the clashes, it said.

“Rice, reflecting her generally more combative mind-set, would say to Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, that in reacting to the Joint Plan of Action, Netanyahu’s posture was outrageous”, Ross wrote.

Israel’s military says it is checking the latest report.

The border had been largely quiet following last summer’s war between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the territory. It said that forces opened fire at the main instigators to stop their advance.

In Gaza, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh praised Palestinians who have carried out knife attacks as “heroes” and said a new intifada focussed on Jerusalem was underway.

As well as tensions over al-Aqsa, Palestinian anger has mounted as Israeli forces have taken a tougher line against protesters who are violent.

Mourners marched in a funeral procession for Mohannad Halabi after prayers on Friday afternoon. He described the recent surge in violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank as an uprising, or “Intifada”.

Hundreds of right-wing Jewish protesters marched in Jerusalem on Thursday night, including a few chanting “Death to Arabs” and “No Arabs, No Attacks”. Earlier, a Palestinian stabbed four Israelis with a screwdriver in Tel Aviv.

Spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker stabbed a 14-year-old Israeli in central Jerusalem before running away. A suspect, matching the description of the attacker, was later apprehended by police.

Zeid Raad al-Hussein said he was “deeply concerned at the increasing number of reported attacks” by both Israeli settlers and Palestinians.

Israeli troops who have not been trained for such conflicts respond to stones and Molotov cocktails with automatic weapons fire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “strongly condemned the harming of innocent Arabs”, saying that anyone who resorts to violence will be brought to justice.

“We call on the United States government, which provides hundreds of millions of dollars of funding each year to the Palestinian Authority, to demand that Palestinian officials act decisively to curb the violence”, the statement said.

The army launches large-scale operations and reoccupies nearly all of the West Bank, using combat aircraft for the first time since 1967 in airstrikes against the Palestinians. Police said she posed an “immediate threat”.

Deputy USA national security adviser Ben Rhodes said on Thursday that negotiations, “kind of got put on hold while this dispute over the nuclear deal was taking place”.

The attack comes after a week of numerous Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Non-Muslim visitors are only allowed to enter the site at specific hours and are banned by police from praying there. The compound contains the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The unrest began about three weeks ago as Palestinians repeatedly barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque and hurled rocks and firebombs at police.