Number of terrorist attacks in Jerusalem drops to 3-year low in June

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(JTA) — Israeli security services documented six terrorist attacks in Jerusalem in June — the lowest figure on record for a month in at least three years.

The tally constitutes a sharp drop in attacks in Jerusalem from May, when security forces documented 34 incidents in the capital.

Israeli security services massively increased their presence in Jerusalem in June to prevent disturbances, as the first half of the month was Ramadan, which typically features a spike in terrorist activity. During the monthlong Muslim holiday, observant worshippers fast from sunrise to sundown.

The decrease was part of an overall drop of 40 percent in the number of terrorist attacks in Israel and the West Bank documented in June, when 220 such incidents were registered, the Israel Security Service said in its monthly report published this week. The overall figure for May was 365, the highest number in over two years of terrorist attacks on Israelis.

Five people were wounded in the June attacks, one moderately and the rest lightly.

Through May and June, the Hamas terrorist group organized weekly demonstrations along the border with Israel. Tens of thousands of protesters participated in some of the demonstrations, which featured firebombs hurled at troops near the fence and attempts to breach it.

More than 135 Palestinians have died in the rioting since March, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported.

At one massive riot on May 14, Israeli troops killed 61 people. A senior Hamas official said that 50 of those killed in or immediately after the riot were members of his organization.

Additionally, Palestinians have burned hundreds of acres of land near the border by sending over kites carrying torches and helium balloons.

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