Israeli Police Officers Killed in Palestinian Attack Near Jerusalem Shrine
Israel’s police chief says two officers were killed in an attack by Palestinian assailants near a major Jerusalem shrine.
Roni Alsheich says the policemen died of wounds sustained in the attack earlier Friday. He spoke after three Arab citizens of Israel opened fire on police near one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem. The compound is the holiest site in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam. Spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attack happened Friday near a gate of Jerusalem’s Old City and the shooters then fled toward a mosque at the nearby holy site. Police gave chase and they were shot dead at the compound.
The holy compound is known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary. It is the holiest site to Jews and the third holiest in Islam.Since September 2015, Palestinian attackers have killed 43 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist. In that time, Israeli forces have killed more than 254 Palestinians, most of them said by Israel to be attackers.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to preserve long-standing access arrangements at a contested Jerusalem holy site, in an apparent attempt to allay Muslim fears after Israel ordered the volatile shrine closed for a day following a Palestinian shooting attack there. The status quo governing the site “will be preserved,” he said.
The site has been a flashpoint for violence in the past, with friction there sparking major rounds of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
