Two Palestinians killed in knife attack on Israeli soldiers

Mohannad Halabi, a 19-year-old law student from the West Bank, stabbed to death two Israelis in Jerusalem’s Old City in early October before he was shot dead by police.

The Israeli move came amid a rising wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians since mid-September, in which frequent stabbing, shooting, and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians have killed 23 Israelis and a US citizen.

Israeli soldiers stand guard near the scene where two Palestinian men were shot dead by Israeli troops at a checkpoint in the West Bank January 9, 2016.

“Uvda” reported that an activist with the prominent Israeli human rights group B’Tselem worked with Nawi to set up a sting to lure the prospective seller to Palestinian Authority territory where he would be arrested.

Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians in two different incidents in southern occupied West Bank for allegedly trying to stab soldiers Thursday night, Palestinian and Israeli authorities said.

The Israel Defense Forces said the soldiers had “thwarted the attack and shot the assailants”.

“Clashes erupted between youths [and Israeli forces]. We are one nation on this land, which we all love and give sacrifices for”, said Sheikh Sabri, at the conference held to launch the campaign.

“I have never seen someone demolishing like this, may God curse them. It [the house] is not more valuable than him, Palestine, or other martyrs of Palestine”.

More than 150 Palestinians have been killed in the recent escalation of violence since the start of October.

In June, Education Minister Naftali Bennett removed state funding from a play that he said showed a Palestinian attacker in a sympathetic light.

Israel often retains the bodies of Palestinians killed during alleged attacks, a measure that has drawn criticism from rights groups as well as Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.