Jerusalem // Arab Israeli lawmakers have vowed to defy prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to bar parliament members from entering the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, pledging to visit site in on Friday.
It comes amid new Israeli-Palestinian violence from three stabbings on Thursday — in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Israel’s economic hub of Tel Aviv — which left several people wounded and an attacker dead.
Mr Netanyahu had issued the ban against lawmakers and ministers in a bid to ease tensions after weeks of unrest.
However, Israeli Arab MP Ahmed Tibi called the ban “senseless and illegal”, saying that “neither Netanyahu nor the right will be able to stop us from entering our Al Aqsa mosque”.
Thirteen of Israel’s 120 MPs are Arabs. Their planned visit will test enforcement of the ban.
On Thursday, an Israeli soldier in Tel Aviv shot dead an Arab attacker after he stabbed and wounded four Israelis with a screwdriver, said police spokeswoman Luba Samri. The attacker’s identity was not immediately known.
Earlier, a Palestinian teenager stabbed a 25-year-old Israeli in the neck in Jerusalem, wounding him seriously, before police arrested the attacker.
In the West Bank, an Israeli man was seriously wounded when a Palestinian stabbed him in the stomach. Israeli forces were searching the area for the assailant after he fled the scene.
Palestinian protesters meanwhile clashed with Israeli forces in a number of locations in the West Bank. Israeli forces responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
In a statement from Geneva on Thursday, the UN human rights chief appealed for calm, warning that “more bloodshed will only lead to more hatred on both sides” of the Israeli-Palestinian divide.
Zeid Raad Al-Hussein said he was “deeply concerned at the increasing number of reported attacks” by both Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
“The high number of casualties, in particular those resulting from the use of live ammunition by Israeli security forces, raise concerns of excessive use of force,” he said.
Six Palestinians, including four alleged attackers, have been killed in the unrest. More than 130 Palestinians have been wounded in demonstrations and clashes across the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Four Israelis have also been killed in attacks over the past week.
The attacks and rioting have sparked fears of a broader uprising and even a third intifada.
The Al Aqsa compound has seen repeated clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian youths in recent weeks.
Provocative visits by Israeli agriculture minister Uri Ariel and Israeli Arab lawmakers have added to the volatility.
The Al Aqsa compound is Islam’s third-holiest site, believed to be the place where Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven. It is also a sacred site for Jews.
The site is located in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.
Mr Netanyahu’s move to try and calm the situation appeared to put the Israeli leader on a collision course with hardliners within his own governing coalition. They have been putting intense pressure on the prime minister to respond to the surge in violence with a tough crackdown and increased settlement activity.
But Mr Netanyahu is also wary of angering the American administration and risking another full-fledged uprising with too tough a response that could lead to a higher number of casualties on both sides.
* Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
