Palestinians die in new clashes over Jerusalem holy site
JERUSALEM: Two Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli forces as the army moved in to seal off an attacker’s home after violence over security measures at the sensitive holy site.
The UN Security Council will hold closed-door talks on Monday about the spiralling violence after Egypt, France and Sweden sought a meeting to “urgently discuss how calls for de-escalation in Jerusalem can be supported”.
The deaths followed bloodshed on Friday, when a 19-year-old Palestinian killed three Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and three Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli forces.
On Saturday, Palestinian youths hurled stones and petrol bombs as the army used a bulldozer to close off the 19-year-old attacker’s West Bank village and prepare his house for probable demolition.
Israel frequently punishes the families of attackers by razing or sealing their homes as a deterrent, although rights groups say this amounts to collective punishment.
Clashes also flared in east Jerusalem and other Palestinian villages in the West Bank near Jerusalem, police said, adding that anti-riot measures were used against them.
At the Qalandiya crossing between the West Bank and Jerusalem, at least eight Palestinians were wounded, the Palestinian health ministry said.
A Palestinian died of wounds suffered in clashes east of Jerusalem, the ministry said.
It said 17-year-old Oday Nawajaa was hit by Israeli live fire at Al Azariya.
Another Palestinian died when a petrol bomb exploded prematurely.
Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency meanwhile said on Sunday it had arrested 25 men active in the Hamas group that rules the Gaza Strip.
Also on Sunday, a rocket fired at Israel from Gaza exploded mid-air, the Israeli army said, causing no injuries.
No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the projectile.
The violence was triggered by security measures including metal detectors at the entrance to the Haram al Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, ahead of the main weekly Friday prayers.
Amid mounting pressure to respond to the dispute, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas announced late on Friday he was freezing contacts with Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced what he called the “excessive use of force” by the Israelis in Friday’s clashes.
The US, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations — the so-called Middle East Quartet — urged all sides to “demonstrate maximum restraint.”