In Jerusalem, Palestinians increased attacks on occupying Israel. One Palestinian with a gun and another with knives attacked passengers on a bus. In another part of the city, a man crashed a car into people at a bus stop. He then left the car and stabbed people nearby.
A fourth attacker stabbed a person at a bus stop in a town north of Tel Aviv. More than a dozen Israelis were wounded in the three attacks. One of the attackers was killed, two were wounded, and the fourth was detained.
The recent attacks add to a growing death toll. Seven Israelis have been killed and 25 others wounded by stabbings and other attacks by Palestinians.
Twenty-five Palestinians have been killed, mostly by Israeli police answering the attacks. Israeli soldiers have also killed Palestinian protesters throwing rocks and firebombs. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed the recent violence on “acts of aggression” by Israeli settlers in lands Palestinians want for a future state.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas, the Palestinian National Authority, and a group called the Islamic Movement for encouraging violence. Mr. Netanyahu says the groups are spreading “lies” that Israel is planning to take over the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site.
Al Aqsa in mostly Arab East Jerusalem, was built in the 700s and has been recently visited by religious Jews who want to return the site to Judaism. They call it Temple Mount, named for the Jewish holy site there that was destroyed in the year 70.
