Israeli Army Kills Two Palestinians near Nablus

Israeli border guards walk down a road during clashes with Palestinian protesters following a demonstration on December 25, 2015 in the village of Kfar Qaddum, near Nablus in the West Bank.

Israeli forces have shot dead two Palestinians over an alleged stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank.

The attack came shortly after Israeli police officers arrested a Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City in possession of a knife. At least 127 Palestinians have died in the same period, of whom 87 Israel says were attacking or attempting to attack Israelis. A fourth Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops, according to a Palestinian hospital official.

An Israeli soldier was moderately injured early Sunday morning in a stabbing attack at the entrance to Jerusalem, close to the central bus station.

Pope Francis, the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics also used the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) address to urge Israelis and Palestinians to resume “direct dialogue”, saying that their conflict had “serious repercussions” on the Middle East.

A police spokesman said the auto accelerated in the direction of the border police officers, who took cover and fired at the vehicle.

Two Palestinians killed in the last week were shot dead during clashes with Israeli military forces, while the rest were killed by forces during attacks on Israeli military and civilians. On Wednesday, two Palestinian attackers were shot dead after they stabbed and killed an Israeli man. Another Israeli man died after he was apparently shot by Israeli police trying to subdue the attackers.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health still did not identified him. The Palestinians say it is rooted in frustrations stemming from almost five decades of Israeli occupation.

The latest round of US-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014. The mosque is the holiest Islamic site outside Saudi Arabia.

Israel has blamed Palestinians for the outbreak of violence.