Palestinian Unrest: Carry Guns at All Times, Jerusalem Mayor Says

The mayor of Jerusalem called on the city’s residents on Thursday to carry weapons at all times as the security situation in the city continues to deteriorate in the wake of a wave of deadly attacks in the last week. “Possessing weapons increases the confidence of residents, who know that in addition to police there are many people who are not afraid to intervene”.

Four people, including an Israeli soldier, were stabbed and wounded near a military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Thursday, police and ambulance sources said, as a rash of such Palestinian attacks spread to Israel’s commercial capital.

Barkat, who himself is a licensed gun-owner, issued the call for those who now hold gun licenses in the city.

The announcement comes after an Arab attacker stabbed four Israelis with a screwdriver before a soldier shot and killed him. Several Palestinians have also been killed in clashes, including a 13-year-old boy in a refugee camp near Bethlehem, a city in the West Bank.

Hours earlier, a Jewish seminary student was wounded in a Palestinian knife attack on a main road in Jerusalem. Many Palestinians believe Israel is trying to take over the complex, which Jews also revere.

Three Palestinians were wounded after a group of apparent undercover Israeli police infiltrated them and then opened fire Israeli media reported.

This week Israel’s Channel 1 broadcast images of Barkat touring the East Jerusalem neighborood of Issawiya with a weapon, saying he wanted to set an example during tense periods.

Additionally on Thurs., Netanyahu barred all Jewish & Arab lawmakers from visiting a sensitive holy website in Jerusalem in an effort to stop current street violence from spiraling additional, in accordance to a authorities official.

A Palestinian protesters throws stones during clashes with the members of the Israeli armed forces in Hebron, West Bank.

Israeli government officials have accused Palestinian leaders of playing on Muslim concerns over al-Aqsa to incite Palestinians to violence – so far mostly “go-it-alone” attacks that appeared to fall short of an organised uprising – in the absence of peace talks that collapsed in 2014.