Israel: Palestinians commit 5 stabbings

Associated Press

JERUSALEM

Palestinian assailants carried out five stabbing attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Saturday, authorities said, as a month-long outburst of violence showed no signs of abating. The unrest came despite new security measures that have placed troops and checkpoints around Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. At least four assailants were killed.

In Jerusalem, where most of the violence has taken place, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said a 16-year-old Palestinian drew a knife on officers early Saturday when they asked for identification after a bystander said he was behaving suspiciously. She said the officers shot and killed the teenager after he tried to stab them. The incident took place near where two Palestinian men boarded a bus earlier in the week and began shooting and stabbing passengers, killing two.

Later, another assailant tried to stab a policeman on the outskirts of Jerusalem but struck his bulletproof vest and did not injure him. The assailant was shot and wounded. Police said when an officer approached to treat the attacker, he pulled out a second knife and attempted to attack him. He was then shot and killed.

The other three attacks Saturday took place in the West Bank city of Hebron, where a few hundred Jewish settlers live close to tens of thousands of Palestinians.