Jerusalem: with the death of 18-year-old in clashes with the army, many fear a new intifada
Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Bloodshed continues in Holy Land. An 18-year-old Palestinian was reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli troops at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Tulkarm on Sunday night.
This comes as tensions persist in Jerusalem and across the West Bank after two days of violent protests that left two Israelis stabbed to death and dozens of Palestinians wounded by Israeli bullets with Israeli Prime Minister barring non-resident Palestinians from the Old City.
The 18-year-old youth was identified as Hudhayfah Ali Suleiman, a resident of Bal'a. According to reports, after being shot by Israeli troops at a checkpoint near Tulkarm Sunday night, he was rushed to a nearby clinic, where he was pronounced dead.
According to Army Radio, dozens of Palestinian youths rioted near Tulkarm on Sunday night, hurling burning tires, firebombs and stones toward Israeli security forces. Soldiers reportedly fired back, wounding more than a hundred people.
In addition to the young man who sustained the fatal gunshot wound, three other Palestinians were said to be badly wounded but in moderate condition.
As tensions grow, more and more observers have been talking about a possible "third intifada" after that of 1987 and 2000.
One feature this time is the increasing prevalence of “price tag” operations by Jewish extremists, such as the arson attack that murdered three members of the Dawabsheh family in the West Bank village of Duma about two months ago.
After his return from the United Nations meeting in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his security officials and ordered a crackdown in the midst of a bitter war to the end against Palestinian terrorism." The new measures announced by Netanyahu include "fast tracking the razing of terrorists' homes".
About 300,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, including the Old City. The latter is under Israeli occupation but sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians.
A number of restrictions will be in place for two days. Only Palestinian residents, local business owners and students – as well as tourists and Israeli citizens – will be allowed in to the Old City, which is sacred to Jews, Muslims, and Christians.
With regard to the prayers on the Temple Mount, a "sensitive" area coveted by ultra-Orthodox Jews, only men over 50 years will be allowed. No age restrictions apply to women
Israeli security forces have been on high alert since a Palestinian on Saturday stabbed a married couple to death. In the second incident, a Palestinian teenager stabbed an Israeli teenager on a street in West Jerusalem in the early hours of Sunday. In both cases, Israeli police killed the attackers.
Meanwhile, rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel is adding to the tensions. Israel responded immediately with air strikes against Hamas positions in northern Gaza.
In light of the situation, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, calling for immediate action to ensure international protection of the Palestinian people against “Israeli aggression”.
In a phone conversation with the UN chief, who called for calm and restraint on all parties, the Palestinian leader slammed settler attacks and violence in the West Bank.
PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi warned that the attacks by both Israeli soldiers and settlers "prove that the Israeli government is deliberately creating a situation of violence and instability that threatens to spiral out of control."
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