A driver has been shot dead by security officials after ramming his car into several pedestrians in East Jerusalem.
At least three people were seriously injured after being struck with the car, in what Israeli police have described as a “suspected terror attack” in the wake of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli authorities around Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif compound.
Overnight, Palestinians hurled rocks and launched fireworks at Israeli police in protest of the Palestinians shot and killed by the security forces in recent weeks. The security forces responded by firing stun grenades into crowds.
Tensions have been heightened between the Palestinian and Israeli populations in Jerusalem since the Gaza conflict last summer, with nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in some districts.
The situation further escalated last Wednesday when right-wing Jewish activist Yehuda Glick was shot and injured at a rally in the city. Israel temporarily closed access to Temple Mount in response to the shooting, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said was tantamount to a declaration of war.
Both sides have adopted dangerous rhetoric about Temple Mount, argues 972 Magazine, in a recent photo essay.
