Israeli police report 2 more Palestinian stabbing attacks

On Monday, Israeli security forces shot and killed a Palestinian woman at a West Bank checkpoint who they said pulled a knife in an attempt to stab guards.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri says that in the first incident Tuesday, two Palestinian minors stabbed and moderately wounded an Israeli guard on a light rail train in in east Jerusalem. The guards shot at him and paramedics pronounced his death at the scene.

According to Israeli media, a Palestinian was shot by two security guards as he ran towards them with a knife in his hand.

While knife and car-ramming assaults have continued in the occupied West Bank amid a weeks-long surge of violence, Tuesday’s attacks were the first in Jerusalem in more than a week. The others were killed in violent clashes with security forces throughout the West Bank and on the Gaza border.

Meanwhile, another stabbing attack was reported outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Israeli authorities are retaining about 20 corpses in a policy meant to discourage attacks and stop funerals from becoming political rallies likely to further inflame emotions.

Palestinians are angry at increasing violence by Israeli settlers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and their attacks on Palestinian properties, saying that the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.

The case became a lightning rod for both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian divide after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas erroneously claimed in a televised speech that Israelis had “summarily executed” Ahmed. The 13-year-old at the time was recovering at an Israeli hospital.

Israel promptly accused Abbas – as it has done repeatedly in the past months – of fomenting violence with what it says are incendiary comments. The video made no mention of the preceding attack.

Rights groups have alleged that Israeli troops have used excessive force against Palestinians, in a few cases shooting and killing suspected attackers who the groups say could have been simply arrested.

In the video, police officers showed Manasra the security camera footage of the attack. One of the officers shouts at him, “Is this you, this person?” as the teen cries and says he doesn’t remember.

It is not known who released the video, accessible only to those involved in the investigation and to lawyers. “You can not terrify or threaten or tempt for the objective of achieving a confession”, she said.

Hagit Ofran of the anti-settlement group Peace Now said that it could be years before any of the homes are built since the plan must pass several other phases before construction can begin.