Jerusalem: Palestinian wounds two policemen, Israeli police shoot him

One of the two officers was seriously injured. Author of the assault a Palestinian of about 20, hospitalized in critical condition. After three weeks of relative calm, there have been six attacks in four days. September 21 face-to-face meeting between Netanyahu and Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.


Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Palestinian assailant wounded two Israeli policemen, one of them seriously, before being "neutralized" by the intervention of the security forces, which shot him several times. The attack took place this morning in East Jerusalem, near the Old City.

Medical sources speak of a 20 year-old policewoman who suffered very serious injuries; the situation her 45 year-old colleague is better, who suffered only minor damage in the assault.

A police spokesman adds that the assailant is about 20 years of age and is a native of East Jerusalem. At present he is hospitalized in critical condition.

This morning’s knife attack is the sixth in just four days, after about three weeks of relative respite, during which there were no assaults or violence.

The assault took place in the vicinity of Herod's door, the entrance to the Old City, not far from the Damascus Gate where last September 16 a Jordanian citizen was killed by police after he tried to stab an officer.

Since last October, after ultra-Orthodox Jews engaged in provocative behaviour on the Temple Mount, incidents and clashes have multiplied in Israel and the Palestinian territories in what has come to be dubbed the ‘knife intifada’.

Since it began, 207 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, two Americans and one Sudanese and one Eritrean have been killed.

Most Palestinians were killed trying to stab or fire on passing cars or soldiers. The others were killed during demonstrations or clashes with the military.

Faced with this escalation of violence that culminated in the attack in Tel Aviv on June 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to step up the demolition of the homes of Palestinian assailants. A measure which, according to critics, is a "collective punishment" which ends up exacerbating the tension.

Meanwhile a bilateral meeting between Israeli Prime Minister s Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama has been confirmed for the sidelines of the UN General Assembly scheduled this week in New York. As reported by White House sources, the meeting is scheduled for  September 21 next; the focus of the talks the peace negotiation for two states - long stalled - to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while on the ground, "the situation is increasingly worrying".