2 Palestinians said killed as heavy clashes again erupt
Police use tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons in West Bank and Jerusalem to disperse rock-throwing rioters
At least two Palestinians were killed Saturday in clashes as demonstrations continued against the installation of metal detectors at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount holy site. The metal detectors were installed after three Arab Israelis shot dead two Israeli police officers just outside the Temple Mount compound on July 14 using guns they had smuggled into the holy site.
A Palestinian youth wounded in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank on Saturday died of his injuries, the Palestinian health ministry said. It said 17-year-old Oday Nawajaa had been hit by live fire and critically wounded at al-Eizariya east of Jerusalem.
Another Palestinian aged 18 died in the West Bank village of Abu Dis when a petrol bomb he was planning to throw at Israeli security forces exploded prematurely, the ministry said.
Saturday’s violence came a day after three Palestinians were killed in clashes. Palestinian medical officials said all three died of gunshot wounds. Israel said it was investigating the reports.
Later Friday, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed to death three family members at their Shabbat dinner table in the Halamish settlement in the West Bank.
There were also heavy clashes outside the Lion’s Gate leading to the Temple Mount.
At the end of evening prayers on Saturday, a group of Palestinians surrounded a police van, chanting and throwing stones and rocks. Police responded by pushing them away with tear gas and stun grenades. Later, police used a water cannon to try and disperse the hundreds of protesters who continued to pelt police with rocks.
Channel 2 said three people were reported injured.
The Israeli security cabinet was set to convene for an emergency meeting Sunday in order to decide how to respond to the violence.
In East Jerusalem, protesters on Saturday hurled stones and glass bottles at security forces in the A-Tur neighborhood, the Shuafat refugee camp and the Mount of Olives.
In the Issawiya neighborhood, a burning tire was rolled from the top of a road toward security forces.
Police dispersed the demonstrations in the capital using riot control means. No Israelis were reported injured in the riots.
Earlier in the day dozens of Palestinian rioters hurled stones at IDF soldiers near the central West Bank village of Kobar, home to the terrorist who stabbed three Israelis to death a day earlier in the settlement of Halamish, close to the city of Ramallah.
The soldiers responded to the violent protests with riot dispersal means. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The upgraded Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount were introduced after the July 14 terror attack at the contest site.
On Thursday, police released video footage of the weapons being smuggled into Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Muslim leaders say the metal detectors mark a change to the status quo at the site. Israel says the July 14 attack showed an imperative for reinforced security measures.
On Friday, the Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news agency said a 17-year-old was killed in Ras al-Amud outside the Old City after being shot by a “settler,” though no shooter was identified; the term is often used by Palestinians to refer to any Israeli out of uniform. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the teen as Muhammad Mahmoud Sharaf from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.
A second person was reportedly shot in the A-Tur area and died of his wounds at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem. He was identified by Palestinian media as Muhammad Hassan Abu Ghanem. The Wafa agency did not give his age or his place of residence.
The third death reportedly occurred in Abu Dis in the West Bank, near Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The fatality was identified as Muhammad Lafi, 18, from Abu Dis, by Palestinian media.
Pictures of the three were published in a Facebook post by the Fatah party. The three were laid to rest Friday evening.
Over 200 people were reported injured in the clashes across Jerusalem and the West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, adding that the injuries were incurred from live bullets, rubber-coated bullets, burning and tear gas inhalation.
Israel Police said they used crowd dispersal means to counter the clashes, and were aware of two people injured who were taken to the Makassed Hospital.
At least one Israeli police officer was injured.
In the Qalandiya refugee camp east of Jerusalem, approximately 600 Palestinians threw rocks and rolled burning tires at troops, an army spokesperson said. Israeli forces responded with live fire, tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.
In Hebron, hundreds of Palestinians also took part in violent demonstrations. The army responded with less lethal 0.22 Ruger rounds, tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, but not full live fire, a spokesperson said.
Palestinians also threw rocks at cars outside the West Bank settlement of Tekoa. Two cars were damaged but there were no reports of injuries.
Dozens of makeshift checkpoints were set up in and around Jerusalem’s Old City and police patrols were bolstered in the alleyways and on paths taken by Jewish and Muslim worshipers to the Temple Mount and Western Wall.
