JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli police on Tuesday said security forces foiled three attempted Palestinian stabbing attacks, including an assault on a train in east Jerusalem carried out by two young boys. One alleged attacker was shot and killed, two suspected assailants, including a preteen boy, were wounded. An Israeli security guard also suffered moderate injuries.
The attacks marked a return to violence in Jerusalem, which has enjoyed a brief lull amid a two-month wave of unrest engulfing the region. Jerusalem has been a frequent target of attackers, but had enjoyed period of relative quiet over the past two weeks as the unrest was focused primarily in the West Bank.
Most of the attackers have been young Palestinians in their late teens or early 20s. On Tuesday, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy went on trial before a Jerusalem court over a stabbing last month that fueled a high-profile media war.
Since mid-September, 12 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbing assaults. Meanwhile, 76 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 49 said by Israel to have been involved in attacks or attempted attacks. The other Palestinians died in clashes between stone-throwers and security forces.
The latest bloodshed was triggered by unrest at a major Jerusalem shrine revered by both Muslims and Jews, and quickly spread to Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza border. Israel accuses Palestinian political and religious leaders of inciting the violence. Palestinians say the unrest is the inevitable result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation and no hope for gaining independence.