Stabbings and clashes that left six people dead raised fears on Saturday of further Israeli-Palestinian violence as tensions mount over new security measures at a highly sensitive Al Haram Al Sharif in Occupied Jerusalem.

Friday’s violence — a stabbing attack that killed three Israelis and clashes which left three Palestinians dead — was among the most severe in recent years. There were concerns over whether it would spark wider unrest as Israeli officials grappled with how to ease tensions over the Al Haram Al Sharif. The site in occupied Jerusalem’s Old City that includes the revered Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock has been a rallying cry for Palestinians.

In 2000, then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon’s visit to the compound helped ignite the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which lasted more than four years.

Tensions have risen throughout the past week because of new Israeli security measures at Al Haram Al Sharif following an attack nearby that killed two policemen on July 14.

The measures have included the installation of metal detectors at entrances to the site, which Palestinians reject since they view the move as Israel asserting further control over it.

Israeli authorities say the July 14 attackers smuggled guns into the holy site and emerged from it to shoot the policemen.

Friday’s weekly Muslim prayers — which typically draw thousands to Al Aqsa Mosque — brought the situation to a boil. In anticipation of protests, Israel barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for prayers, stoking further Palestinian anger.

Clashes broke out between Israeli security forces and Palestinians around the Old City, in other parts of annexed East Jerusalem and in the occupied West Bank.

Three Palestinians between the ages of 17 and 20 were shot dead. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported 450 people wounded in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, including 170 from live or rubber bullets.

In the evening, a Palestinian identified as Omar Al Abed broke into a home in a Jewish colony in the West Bank and stabbed four Israelis, killing three of them.

The 19-year-old Palestinian was shot by a neighbour, an off-duty soldier, and was taken to hospital. Omar’s father said he had spoken of Al Haram Al Sharif and of dying as a martyr in a Facebook post. “The honour of Muslims is only the Al Haram Al Sharif,” Mohammad Al Abed said. “If it’s gone, the Muslims’ honour is gone. This was the motive for my son.”

Ebrahim Al Abed, an uncle of the assailant, said his nephew had been arrested three months ago by security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who presides over autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The uncle said his nephew had spent two weeks in detention and was violently interrogated about alleged plans to attack Israelis before he was released.

Israeli soldiers raided the Palestinian’s nearby village of Kobar overnight and arrested his brother, an army spokeswoman said. Preparations were also being made to demolish the attacker’s home, a measure Israel regularly employs because it views it as a deterrent, although human rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment.

Amid mounting pressure to respond to the dispute over Al Haram Al Sharif, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas announced late Friday he was freezing contacts with Israel.

There was no immediate public reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Violence is likely to worsen absent a major policy shift,” said Ofer Zalzberg, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. “Netanyahu’s mistake was installing the metal detectors without a Muslim interlocutor. It is the coercive character more than the security measure itself that made this unacceptable for Palestinians.”

On Saturday, entrances to occupied Jerusalem’s walled Old City were open, but heavy security was in place. The metal detectors also remained at the entrance to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. “Al Aqsa — that’s for the Muslims, not for the Jewish,” said Mohammad Haroub, a 42-year-old souvenir shop owner.

Like hundreds of others, he prayed outside on Friday instead of passing through the metal detectors. He added that it was not only an Israeli-Palestinian issue. “Al Aqsa is not for Palestinians. It is for all Muslims.”

Sharon Kopel, a 46-year-old Israeli tour guide leading a group in the Old City, said he felt the metal detectors were unnecessary and politically motivated. “I don’t think it’s really effective anyway,” he said of the new security measures.

source: GULF NEWS