Netanyahu sees no quick fix to outbreak of violence

Seven Palestinians have been killed in the unrest and more than 130 wounded.

On the Gaza frontier, meanwhile, protests resumed Saturday afternoon, with dozens of Palestinians throwing stones and rolling burning tires toward Israeli troops along the border fence.

The Gaza border has been largely calm since last summer’s war between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the territory.

But Mr Netanyahu is likely to fear that a tougher response could anger the USA and lead to increased casualties on both sides, risking the outbreak of a fully fledged uprising.

Since the latest wave of unrest began this month, eight Palestinians have been killed while carrying out attacks and 12 have been killed in protests and clashes in the West Bank and Gaza.

In one clip, archived on an Israeli news site, a song in Arabic-accented Hebrew calls for the killing of “Zionists” while another is an animation of the drive-by shooting of an Israeli couple killed in the West Bank a week ago.

Fresh clashes broke out at the Bet El checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday.

Many Jerusalem residents have started to scan their surroundings with suspicion as violence has escalated in Jerusalem and the West Bank in the past week.

In Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, also on Wednesday, a Jewish man was wounded in a knife attack outside a shopping centre, police said.

Less than an hour earlier, a Palestinian used a vegetable peeler to stab and injure the 14-year-old Israeli in Jerusalem before he was arrested, police said.

At least two of the victims were Arab Israelis while it was still unclear whether the other two were Arab Israeli or Palestinian, police said. “The minute we saw him, we put him in an ambulance, provided medical treatment, and then took him to the hospital”. After his arrest, the assailant said he acted in retaliation for the numerous Palestinian attacks, Israeli media reported.

Dimona mayor Beni Bitton said the stabber is a “mentally ill man”. At least 14 other people were wounded in the incident, according to hospital officials.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “strongly condemned the harming of innocent Arabs”.

Israeli officials have said the violence is not on that scale for now, but rather is of the kind unleashed periodically over the decades.

Friday’s escalation came as Israeli security forces sought to prevent the further spread of Palestinian unrest, with Netanyahu saying Thursday night the country faced a mostly unorganised “wave of terror”.

The age limit has been set intermittently in an attempt to ensure peace at the site, as it’s mostly younger Palestinians involved in the violence.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the woman pulled out a knife and tried to stab a security guard at the entrance to the bus station in the town of Afula.

On Sunday, Israel had barred Palestinians from entering the Old City, a holy site for Christians, Jews and Muslims alike, after several incidents in which Palestinians stabbed Israeli citizens.

It was fueled by Palestinian allegations that Israel plans to change the delicate arrangement at the hilltop compound, sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Israel has adamantly denied the allegations and accused Palestinian leaders of incitement.