Palestinian stabs Israeli over Jerusalem tensions
JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard Sunday at the entrance to Jerusalem’s bustling central bus station, seriously wounding him in the first attack in the volatile city since US President Donald Trump recognized it as Israel’s capital.
In Beirut, scores of Lebanese and Palestinian demonstrators clashed with security forces outside the heavily guarded US embassy over the recognition, while Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo demanded that the United States rescind Trump’s decision, calling it a “grave” development.
The violence came amid days of unrest sparked by Trump’s dramatic announcement Wednesday.
The Palestinians staged three “days of rage,” with clashes breaking out in flashpoints around the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
It was not immediately clear whether the bus station attack was motivated by Trump’s move, which upended decades of US foreign policy and drew swift criticism from around the world.
Israeli police said the attacker was a 24-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli media identified him as Yassin Abu al-Qarah, who posted on his Facebook page in recent days about Jerusalem, writing “our blood is devoted” to the holy city. Comments on his profile called him a hero for allegedly carrying out the Jerusalem attack.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the guard sustained a serious wound to his upper body and the attacker was apprehended.
Israel’s Channel 10 TV news broadcast security camera video shows the attacker removing his jacket near the gate and then thrusting what looked like a knife into the guard’s chest before fleeing.