Jerusalem [Israel],February 2: Israeli soldiers today killed a Palestinian man who allegedly tried to stab a soldier in the West Bank, and a Palestinian teenager was killed after brandishing a fake gun in East Jerusalem, Palestinian officials and Israeli police said.
These are the latest victims of the violence that intensified a month ago after the swearing in of the new Government of Israel, the most right-wing in the history of the Jewish state.
Israel's national security minister, the ultranationalist Itamar Ben-Gvir, today vowed to continue visiting the Jerusalem shrine, a frequent scene of clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians, despite pleas from neighboring Jordan that Israel not disturb the sensitive status quo at the site.
Israeli forces today demolished the house of an armed Palestinian suspected of murdering an Israeli woman serving her military service last year at a checkpoint in East Jerusalem.
Israel claims that demolishing houses prevents attacks, but Palestinians and human rights groups warn that it is unfairly punishing people who were not involved in the violence.
Minister Ben-Gvir welcomed the demolition of the house, but said that it was "completely insufficient", and "we must destroy all the terrorists' houses and deport them from the country".
At least 37 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, including today's victims. According to the Israeli human rights organization Bezelem, almost 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem last year, the most since 2004.
Source: Beta News Agency