Palestinian shot after West Bank stabbing attempt

Two Palestinian assailants were shot and killed on Wednesday after stabbing Jewish pedestrians outside Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli police said, the latest in an unrelenting wave of violence that has gripped the region.

Police said one of the Israelis may have been wounded by police gunfire.

According to Shahin, Palestinians are plagued by Israeli army checkpoints set up around their cities and villages in the 40 percent of the occupied West Bank designated as Areas “B” and “C” under the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged “zero tolerance” for such attacks and Israel has authorized a series of steps, including administrative detention, to help stamp out the trend. “Regrettably, from time to time there is terrorist activity by Jews and the Shin Bet deals with that”, Netanyahu told reporters in Jerusalem. “We will not accept terror from any side”. Even with the stepped-up measures, Israel has been unable to charge those responsible for the deadly attack.

“I can announce that all the actions being carried out – and they are certainly exceptional actions in light of the exceptional situation – are all overseen and under tight legal scrutiny, in order to prevent the next terror attack”, he said. These groups also tried to mount an assault against the home of Shin Bet chief, Yoram Cohen, and threatened a judge who is know under secret service protection.

Sunday, 20 December 2015, Israeli forces shot and injured three Palestinians at Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), before arbitrarily firing towards civilians and journalists in the area. Israeli forces or armed civilians have killed at least 118 Palestinians, 70 of whom authorities described as assailants, while others died in clashes with security forces.

In West Bank, the same reasons have caused Christians to leave, said Palestinian-Christian George Abueed.

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