Netanyahu Bans Parliament Visits to Jerusalem Holy Site

An army spokeswoman said forces were searching for the assailant.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians also work in Israel, particularly in construction.

In a measure meant to ease tensions, Netanyahu banned Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from the sensitive Jerusalem holy site, fearing any high-profile spectacle could further enflame tensions.

The stabbings took place in the town of Dimona and were all were believed to have been carried out by the same suspect, police said.

Hundreds of right-wing Jewish protesters marched in Jerusalem on Thursday night, including a few chanting “Death to Arabs” and “No Arabs, No Attacks”.

Disguised as Palestinian protesters, the Israeli infiltrating team was caught on camera by several journalists in the vicinity of the illegally-built Israeli settlement of Beit El near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

Israel says the arrested Palestinians shot and killed the Israeli couple in front of their four children in a drive-by attack last week. The compound has become a flashpoint for violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in recent weeks.

A Facebook page adorned with masked youth throwing stones, declaring in Arabic “the (uprising) has been launched”, has also been setup as clashes and stabbings continue to persist.

It was the latest violence in a week in which bloody attacks left four Israelis dead.

Muslim men under the age of 50 will be prevented from attending prayers at the site, Israeli police spokesman Mikey Rosenfeld said. The guard opened fire and injured the woman before she could hurt anybody, officers added. Israel says it carries out such demolitions to deter future attacks. A series of similar attacks in recent days, carried out mainly by young people with no known links to armed groups, has shocked Israelis and raised fears of a new uprising.

The attacks come amid soaring tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images Volunteers move the body of a Palestinian man who was shot dead after he stabbed four people, including an Israeli soldier, Thursday in Tel Aviv.

In Tel Aviv, a female Israeli soldier was stabbed with a screwdriver, allegedly by a Palestinian. Yousef threatened that the West Bank and Gaza Strip would “burn”.

During their phone conversation Sunday, Abbas urged the United Nations chief to swiftly respond to the Palestinian request of global protection before “matters get out of control”.

He said he was committed to “peaceful popular resistance” though he backs the protesters who have barricaded themselves inside Al-Aqsa and clashed with Israeli authorities.

Rami Saleh, director of the Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights, told Anadolu Agency that the apartheid-like decision could draw a strong backlash from Palestinians.

The attacker fled the scene into Hebron; the IDF is conducting a manhunt for the suspect. Earlier in the day, a Palestinian teenager stabbed a Jewish seminary student in the neck in Jerusalem. However, they have not been able to halt “lone wolf” attacks by individuals.

The girl, from Sur Baher in Jerusalem, was seriously wounded in the incident while the Jewish settler sustained moderate injuries, Israeli media reported.