Israel, West Bank Shaken By Two Days Of Violence

At least six Israelis were injured in three separate knife attacks in Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday while at least 160 Palestinians were hurt by Israeli gunfire, acccording to the Palestinian Red Crescent. 



Israeli police said that one Palestinian had been shot dead in Tel Aviv after allegedly stabbing four Israelis -- including a soldier -- with a screwdriver. 



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. 



Earlier in the day, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted that a 19-year-old Palestinian had been arrested after allegedly stabbing an Israeli man near an East Jerusalem tram station. 



Tuesday's incidents come following four similar knife attacks that reportedly occurred one day earlier in Jerusalem and in two other cities, after one of which the alleged Palestinian attacker was shot dead by Israeli security forces. 



Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, for his part, reacted to Thursday's violence by calling on Israeli residents of the city to carry licensed firearms. 



Security in Jerusalem's historic Old City -- the scene of three recent reported knife attacks -- has been stepped up noticeably, with metal detectors being installed at the city's gates.



Clashes



The latest violence comes against the backdrop of frequent clashes that have occurred this week between Israeli security forces and Palestinian youths, in which hundreds of the latter have been injured.



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.  



The clashes were initially triggered by Israeli restrictions on the entry of Palestinian Muslims into East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque -- Islam's third holiest site.  



Since Saturday, six Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces, either during protests or clashes or after alleged knife attacks, prompting a number of rights groups to call on Israel to stop using live fire against protesters. 



Human Rights Watch said Thursday that Israeli rules of engagement vis-à-vis unarmed protesters violated international law, noting that a 13-year-old Palestinian boy had been killed when security forces fired on a crowd in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. 



"The death of a child after security forces used live ammunition against demonstrators should be a wake-up call for Israeli officials," Joe Stork, HRW's deputy Middle East director, said in a statement. 



"Israel should abide by international standards and immediately cancel the loosened rules of engagement for police," Stork added, referring to a recent Israeli government decision to allow troops to use live ammunition against stone-throwing protesters. 



Palestinians complain that the new rules of engagement discriminate against them, as the same measures are not taken against Israeli settlers who throw stones at Palestinians. 



Rami Saleh, director of the Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights, told Anadolu Agency that the apartheid-like decision could draw a strong backlash from Palestinians. 



"This will serve to legalize the shooting of Palestinians," he said, warning that the murder of Palestinian protesters by Israeli troops could lead to another popular uprising, or intifada.



"This [ruling] will only add fuel to the fire," he said. 



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to try to ease tensions on Wednesday night, declaring that no Jewish members of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) would be allowed to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. 



In September of 2000, a visit to Al-Aqsa by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the Second Intifada -- a years-long popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed. - Filistin