Israel suffers more deadly clashes amid pre-Ramadan terroism surge

Clashes with the Israeli military in the West Bank left two Palestinians dead and an Israeli was stabbed on a bus amid a surge of terrorist attacks.

Israeli security forces throw a cordon around the scene of a stabbing attack in a bus near the Elazar settlement in the West Bank on Thursday. Picture: AFP

Clashes with the Israeli military in the West Bank left two Palestinians dead and an Israeli was stabbed on a bus by a Palestinian amid the deadliest surge of terrorist attacks in the country in years.

In the northern West Bank town of Jenin, Israeli forces ­conducting an arrest raid on Thursday came under fire and a shootout ensued, leaving two Palestinians dead and 15 injured, including three seriously from bullet wounds, according to the Israeli military and the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Separately, a 30-year-old Palestinian stabbed and seriously injured an Israeli on a bus near the West Bank settlement of Elazar, near Jerusalem, according to the Israeli military.

An armed civilian on the bus shot and killed the assailant, the military said.

Israel has been hit by a wave of terrorist attacks in which 11 Israelis have been killed in the past week.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told civilians in a video message: “Whoever has a licence to carry a weapon, this is the time to carry it.”

The attacks have come before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Police mourn during the funeral of fellow Israeli officer Amir Khoury in Bnei Brak, in which four others died. Picture: Getty Images

The month is usually a time of heightened tensions, especially around Jerusalem, where tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers travel to the Aqsa Mosque to pray. Israel earlier this week also hosted a summit of American, Arab and Israeli diplomats aimed at boosting economic and security ties and helping build an alliance against Iran.

In response to the escalation of violence, Israel decided on Wednesday to significantly boost its security presence in the West Bank and on the border of the Gaza Strip. Israeli police have also suspended normal activities to focus on counter-terrorism.

Jenin has become a centre of Palestinian militancy, with numerous clashes occurring between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen over the past year. A Palestinian gunman who shot and killed five Israelis on Tuesday night in the city of Bnei Brak in central Israel was from a village located near Jenin.

Before the attack in Bnei Brak, Israeli security forces were already on high alert in response to two attacks in recent days by Arab citizens of Israel with suspected ties to Islamic State.

Also on Thursday, far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Such visits, when made as an act of political protest, are seen by right-wing Israelis as affirmation of their right to visit the holiest site in Judaism, but Palestinians view them as provocative and they have led in the past to an increase in tensions.

The Wall Street Journal