Palestinian stabs Israeli officer amid new surge in violence

The Tomb of the Patriarchs, where Muslims and Jews believe the Biblical patriarch Abraham is buried, is heavily guarded and shared by worshipers from both religions, in separate spaces. The attacker was shot and hospitalized in critical condition.

In the Gaza Strip on Friday, a Palestinian medical official said Israeli troops at the border fence east of Gaza City shot and slightly wounded three Palestinian youths.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri says a female police officer was stabbed in the neck and badly wounded while a male officer was moderately injured. A second officer, aged 47, was recovering from injuries.

Jordan on Saturday condemned Israel’s “barbaric” killing of one of its nationals in east Jerusalem as another Palestinian was shot dead by security forces in the West Bank. Police ordered the shops in the area closed Monday.

Jordanian Saeed Amro, 28, was shot on Friday at the Damascus Gate, the main entrance used by Palestinians to enter Jerusalem’s Old City.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the Jordanian Foreign Ministry “invited” Israel’s ambassador for a discussion of the incident.

Shortly afterward, two Palestinians rammed their vehicle into a bus stop, wounding three Israeli civilians near a West Bank settlement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the potential for violence could rise as the Jewish high holidays approach.

Israeli security forces gather at the scene of a stabbing attack, where a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier before he was shot dead, in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron on September 17, 2016.

Over the weekend, four Palestinians, one of whom held Jordanian citizenship, were shot dead during assaults on Israelis, according to Israeli authorities.

The spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel was responsible for the increase in violence.

The violence began a year ago and for months included near-daily Palestinian stabbing attacks.

Six attacks over the weekend – four stabbings, a auto ramming and a rock throwing – caught many Israelis by surprise, as the violence that marked 2015 and early 2016 appeared to have waned in recent months, and raised fears that regular attacks could return. The Palestinians say it is rooted in almost 50 years of military occupation and dwindling hopes for independence.

This week Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to NY for the United Nations General Assembly, where he plans to meet with President Barack Obama.