Israel seeks to prevent further unrest after attacks spread

Israel sought to prevent a further spread of violence Thursday after attacks hit the heart of the country, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred lawmakers from a flashpoint holy site in a bid to ease tensions.

After days of unrest in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, two knife attacks occurred inside Israel on Wednesday, one outside a shopping centre near Tel Aviv.

A third happened in Jerusalem's Old City, the second in the neighbourhood since Saturday, when two Israelis were killed by a Palestinian, helping set off an Israeli security crackdown.

Rioting in east Jerusalem and the West Bank in recent days has seen youths throwing stones and firebombs face off against security forces firing rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades.

Israeli authorities have wrestled with how to respond, with far-right politicians calling for forceful action and security officials, Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas seeking to avoid an escalation.

An incident on Wednesday seemed to offer a rare glimpse of an Israeli undercover operation when masked infiltrators among a group of Palestinian stone-throwers suddenly pulled out pistols and opened fire as rocks flew towards them.

The incident, captured on video by an AFP journalist, saw three Palestinians wounded, including one critically from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

"Israeli civilians are at the forefront of a war against terrorism and must also be on maximum alert," Netanyahu said on Wednesday after visiting a Jerusalem police headquarters.

"The goal of terrorism is to spread fear, and the way to defeat it is to maintain composure and resilience on both a national and personal level."

Some Israeli mayors, including the mayor of Jerusalem, went as far as to encourage residents who own guns to carry them around with them.

- Al-Aqsa ban -

Over the past week, four Israelis have been killed and five Palestinians, three of them after alleged attacks on Israelis.

While Abbas has spoken of wanting to avoid any escalation of the violence, many Palestinian youths are frustrated with his leadership as well as Israel's right-wing government.

The unrest has sparked fears of a broader uprising, even a third intifada. Netanyahu postponed a visit to Germany that had been scheduled for Thursday to tackle the violence.

Israeli and Palestinian officials reportedly met for security talks in the West Bank on Tuesday evening, and there have been international calls for calm.

The attacks inside Israel on Wednesday have sparked deep concern in the Jewish state.

In the central town of Kiryat Gat, police shot dead a Palestinian man after he allegedly wounded a soldier with a knife and took his gun, authorities said.

In Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, a Jewish man was wounded in a knife attack outside a shopping centre, police said. The attacker was overpowered by passers-by and arrested.

In Jerusalem's Old City, not far from the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, police said an 18-year-old Palestinian woman stabbed a 35-year-old Jewish man in the back and lightly wounded him.

The man, who was armed, managed to draw his gun, shooting and seriously wounding his attacker, police said.

The Al-Aqsa compound has seen repeated clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian youths in recent weeks.

Netanyahu has barred members of parliament and ministers from visiting the site, an official said on Thursday, in a bid to calm tensions there.

Provocative visits by Israeli Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel as well as by Israeli Arab lawmakers have added to the volatility.

Israeli Arab lawmakers have vowed to defy the order and visit the compound on Friday, when many Muslims attend prayers at Al-Aqsa.

The Al-Aqsa compound is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most sacred for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

Muslims fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, which allow Jews to visit but not pray to avoid provoking tensions. Netanyahu has said repeatedly he is committed to the status quo.

An increase in visits by Jews during a series of Jewish holidays in recent weeks has added to tensions.
Source: AFP