Israeli dies of wounds from Oct. 13 Jerusalem attack

Since October 1, least 56 Palestinians – 29 of whom Israel has said were assailants armed with knives or, in at least three instances, guns – have been shot dead by Israelis at the scene of attacks or during protests in the West Bank and in Gaza. According to the military, the Israeli was stabbed in the neck Monday and “severely wounded” near the city of Hebron.

A flurry of diplomatic activity last week saw meetings between US Secretary of State John Kerry with Netanyahu in Berlin, before he flew to Amman to meet Abbas and King Abdullah II.

The current round of violence began in mid-September, triggered in part by heated disputes over the Jerusalem shrine.

Under decades-old arrangements, Jews are allowed to visit, but not to pray at the shrine.

A recent U.S.-brokered deal between Israel and Jordan – the latter of which is responsible for administering Al-Aqsa – called for the installation of surveillance cameras at the site with a view to documenting Palestinian claims that hardline Jewish groups were regularly forcing their way into the compound.

In mid-September, tensions started to soar, coinciding with an increase in the number of Jewish visitors during a period of Jewish holidays.

Fifty-six Palestinians and an Israeli Arab have been killed in attacks, attempted attacks and clashes with Israeli forces.

The confrontations quickly spread.

A stabbing attack was averted Tuesday, the Israel Police said, thanks to an alert police officer who noticed two suspicious-looking youths in Jerusalem. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

With efforts to defuse tensions already strained, deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely stoked Palestinian fears by saying it was her “dream to see the Israeli flag flying” over the holy site, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu made??it clear that he expects all members of the government to act accordingly”, his office said in a statement.

At a Jerusalem news conference, Abdel Azeem Salhab, chairman of the Waqf council, accused Israel of trying to “Judaize” the mosque.

“[This is] evidence that Israel wants to install cameras that only serve its own interests – not cameras that show the truth”, mosque administrators said in a statement.

Richard Lakin, a former school principal in Glastonbury, Connecticut, immigrated to Israel in the early 1980s.

While tensions remain high, the focus of the Palestinian attacks appears to have shifted over the past few days from Jerusalem and cities across Israel to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and their frequency has also declined.