Israel’s military said its troops shot and killed a knife-wielding Palestinian on Tuesday who tried to stab a soldier near the West Bank city of Hebron.
(FOX)- A recent surge in Palestinian attacks has shattered weeks of relative calm. Israeli forces have killed six alleged attackers since the weekend, raising fears of a return to near-daily attacks often seen over the past year.
Israel has beefed up the police presence in Jerusalem and sent troop reinforcements to the West Bank. The Hebron area, where several Jewish settlements exist in close proximity to Palestinian communities, has been a particular flashpoint.
The Palestinian assaults, mainly stabbings, began a year ago, around the Jewish high holidays. They have killed 34 Israelis and two Americans.
About 217 Palestinians have been killed during that period. Israel says the vast majority were attackers, but the Palestinians have accused Israel of using excessive force and killing people who were not assailants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the potential for violence could rise as the Jewish high holidays approach again.
(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)