Stabbing by fake Palestinian journalist raises media fears

Fire broke out at the compound housing Joseph’s Tomb overnight, a religious site venerated by Jews, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The site is revered by Muslims, who refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, and by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount.

Only hours before the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called on the PA to stop inciting “aggression”.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, under pressure over recent comments that a few have labelled incitement, quickly condemned the fire at the site known as Joseph’s Tomb in the northern city of Nablus.

There have been reports of stabbings almost daily, and dozens of Israelis and Palestnians have been killed and injured in the past two weeks in isolated incidents across the area.

Over the same period, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 14 labeled by Israel as attackers.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have continued a rampage through Palestinian, beating, attacking and killing Palestinian civilians.

The blaze was extinguished by Palestinian security forces who dispersed the crowd.

The IDF is preparing for protests and clashes Friday after Juma’a, Friday prayers, in the West Bank and Gaza border.

A Palestinian man wearing a yellow vest with the word “press” written on it stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier.

Israel’s political establishment, however, is mulling additional punitive measures against the families of Palestinian assailants in the event that more acts of violence are perpetrated against Jewish civilians and security personnel. The attack was condemned as “irresponsible” by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In the night-time attack in Nablus, tens of Palestinians overran the tomb, attacking it with petrol bombs.

Israeli security forces are investigating allegations that troops have assaulted journalists. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the soldier stabbed was in his 20s, and sustained moderate wounds.

The United Nations Security Council is meeting Friday over the unrest.

Mr Abbas has said Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas and “aggression” is to blame for the unrest.

“We absolutely reject such acts and any acts outside the law and order and that are offensive to our culture and our religion and our morals”, Mr Abbas said in a statement published by WAFA, the Palestinian news agency. The violence is the direct result of Israeli violence that goes unpunished, the continued theft of Palestinian lands and the refusal of Israelis to recognize the rights of Palestinians and sovereignty to Palestine.

Clashes at the site have become common.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of State announced that the Old City of Jerusalem was off limits to USA government employees until Saturday, and advised private US citizens to “take into consideration these restrictions and the additional guidance contained in the Department’s travel warning for Israel”.

“There’s been a massive increase in settlements over the course of the last years”, he said.