JERUSALEM— In an unprecedented measure, Israeli police barred Palestinians from Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday in response to stabbing attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded three others, as Israel’s prime minister vowed a “harsh offensive” to counter rising violence.
Tensions have flared in recent weeks over an Old City holy site sacred to Muslims and Jews, a series of so-called “lone wolf” attacks on Israelis and a security clampdown, which on Sunday saw Israeli troops launch a bloody arrest raid in the West Bank.
The latest spike in violence comes at a time when many Palestinians no longer believe statehood through negotiations with Israel is possible. Israeli commentators raised the possibility of a third uprising, though Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has so far prevented major outbreaks of violence despite his growing friction with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
