JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two Israeli police officers were wounded, one seriously, in a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Monday morning attack by a Palestinian man in his 20s from eastern Jerusalem is part of a renewed wave of Arab violence against Israeli civilians and security officials.
The assailant approached the two officers from behind near Herod’s Gate, catching them by surprise and stabbing them several times before being shot by one of the officers, according to the Israel Police.
A female police officer, 38, who was stabbed in the neck, was described as being in very serious condition at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. A male police officer, 45, was stabbed in the upper body and moderately wounded, and was being treated at Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem.
The attacker was in critical condition in a Jerusalem hospital.
On Sunday in the West Bank, two Palestinian residents of Hebron attempted to stab Border Police officers stationed at a checkpoint near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the city, police said. The attackers were shot at the scene and later died.
Following a series of attacks over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces had moved an additional infantry battalion to the Hebron area of the West Bank.
The attacks, including a car ramming, four stabbings, and rock and bottle throwing, as well as several that were thwarted, came after a seeming downturn in the violence against Israelis that began with the Rosh Hashanah holiday last year.
On Sunday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with the country’s top security officials to assess the security situation ahead of the upcoming High Holidays.
Netanyahu “instructed that police forces be increased, especially in the Old City and around the Temple Mount, and directed that determined action be taken against any attempt to violate order there,” according to a statement issued that evening by his office.
