Israel forces kill four Palestinians, injure fifth

Israeli forces shot and killed four Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Saturday, as a month-long outburst of violence showed no signs of abating. 

In Jerusalem, where most of the violence has taken place, police spokeswoman said a 16-year-old Palestinian drew a knife on officers early Saturday when they asked for identification. The incident took place near where two Palestinian men boarded a bus earlier in the week and began shooting and stabbing passengers, killing two.  

Later, Israel says a Palestinian tried to stab a policeman on the outskirts of Jerusalem, but struck his bulletproof vest and did not injure him. The Palestinian was killed. 

The other three stabbing attacks Saturday took place in the West Bank city of Hebron, a frequent flashpoint where a few hundred Jewish illegal settlers live in close proximity to tens of thousands of Palestinians. 

In the first incident, Israel's military said a settler pedestrian shot and killed a Palestinian. Later, police said a Palestinian woman stabbed a female officer at a border police base in Hebron and lightly injured her before the officer shot her dead. At night, the army said a soldier was stabbed and moderately wounded before the attacker was shot. There were no immediate details on his condition.

Over the past month, eight Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 19 by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops.   

Most of the attacks have been carried out by Palestinians with no known ties to militant groups, in many cases seemingly inspired by messages on social media. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has at times tried to calm the situation.

The attacks have caused panic across Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of heavy violence.

Palestinians say the violence is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation, more than two decades of failed peace efforts and a lack of hope for gaining independence anytime soon. 

The violence erupted a month ago over the Jewish New Year, fueled by fears that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest shrine and a key national symbol for the Palestinians.  

The Palestinian fears stem in part from the growing number of Jews visiting the compound in recent months, especially during holidays, with the encouragement of Jewish activists groups and senior government officials. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has at times tried to calm the situation by saying violence is not in the Palestinians' interest and behind the scenes has ordered his security forces to reduce frictions.    

International protection

On Friday, the Palestinians asked the UN Security Council to immediately provide international protection for the Palestinian people from  Israel, which rejected any international presence at Jerusalem's holiest site.  

The exchange at an emergency council meeting called by Arab states highlighted the deepening anger and distrust between the two sides after decades of conflict. 

Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the council the issue of protection "has become more urgent than any time before" because of Israeli aggression "against our

Jordan's UN Ambassador Dina Kawar said Jordan is not pushing for a new international force.

defenseless Palestinian people," including at the Jerusalem site that includes the al-Aqsa mosque, the third most sacred place in Islam. 

Mansour called on the council to implement a 1994 resolution adopted after a Jewish settler killed 29 Muslim worshippers at a holy site in Hebron.

It called on Israel "to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilians throughout the occupied territory" including by "a temporary international or foreign presence," and to disarm settlers. 

But Israel's new UN Ambassador Danny Danon said "any such intervention would violate the decades-long status quo." 

Jordan's UN Ambassador Dina Kawar, whose country is custodian of the al-Aqsa compound, said Jordan is not pushing for a new international force. But she said Israeli security forces should stay away from al-Aqsa.