Tensions mount in Jerusalem as knife attacks continue

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said two members of the country’s Bedouin minority and two Palestinians were wounded in the attack in the city of Dimona.

A steady rise in street violence has been fueled by confrontations around Jerusalem’s al Aqsa mosque complex.

An Arab also stabbed and wounded a soldier in the northern Israeli town of Afula before being captured, authorities said.

– In the Israeli city of Dimona, in the Negev desert, south of the West Bank, four Palestinians were wounded in attacks by a knife-wielding man near a school Friday morning, Samri said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to calm Israelis on Thursday as a wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks spread deeper into Israel and clashes erupted across the West Bank. The assessment of Israeli military intelligence, according to the Israeli online news site, Ynet, is that he is seeking to curb violence.

A report by the Associated Press (AP), which cited an official, said that Netanyahu, who claimed Monday that the site was a focal point in the ongoing unrest in the region, announced the ban because he was anxious that any further visits could ignite more violence.

Acccording to the Palestinian Red Crescent, on Thursday alone, at least 160 Palestinians were injured in the West Bank by Israeli gunfire and one Palestinian youth was killed.

Another Israeli was injured Tuesday in a similar knife attack near the Jewish-only Kiryat Arba Settlement near Hebron, according to a statement released by the Israeli army.

Anger also is boiling among Palestinians over a string of deaths at the hands of Israeli security forces, attacks by Jewish settlers and restrictions imposed by Israel on access to a Jerusalem holy site. “Possessing weapons increases the confidence of residents, who know that in addition to police there are many people who are not afraid to intervene”. Israeli police said they were aware of the incident.

He said he is committed to “peaceful popular resistance”, but reiterated his support for “those who are protecting Al-Aqsa mosque”.

At a light rail station on Jaffa Road, Rachel Elisha, who assists the mentally ill and visits them at their homes across Jerusalem, said she was frightened about making her rounds, after the latest attack in which a 25-year-old seminary student was seriously wounded.

On Thursday, in an effort to prevent a high-profile incident that could further inflame the situation, Netanyahu barred all Cabinet members and lawmakers from visiting the Jerusalem holy site. Seven Palestinians, including four alleged attackers, have been killed in the unrest.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Thursday said it’s “imperative” that Israelis with gun licenses go out armed – as he does – in order to defend against Palestinian terror attacks.

Israeli media reported that the attacker attempted to seize the soldier’s weapon and stabbed passersby while fleeing with a screwdriver. Three others were killed during clashes with Israeli security forces, including a 13-year-old near Bethlehem.

Israeli security forces raid the mount in the morning, ahead of Rosh Hashanah and discover stockpiles of firebombs, pipe bombs and rocks they feared would be used against Jewish worshippers.

The stabbing was the latest in a series of attacks against Israelis in recent years.