Israel troops wounded in Jerusalem car-ramming, two Palestinians killed as violence flares
- Israeli army sends additional troops into the West Bank ahead of Friday prayers
- A spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas blames Trump’s peace proposal for the unrest
A car-ramming targeting Israeli troops in Jerusalem wounded 14 people on Thursday while two Palestinians were shot dead in clashes in the occupied West Bank, as violence spiked a week after Washington’s controversial Middle East peace plan. A third person was killed by Israeli officers inside the Old City in east Jerusalem after firing on police, Israeli officials said.
The alleged perpetrator of the car ramming was arrested Thursday evening after a day-long manhunt. The suspect was not immediately identified.
The army said it was deploying additional troops across the West Bank ahead of Friday prayers, often a gathering point for Palestinian demonstrations.
The ramming occurred in central Jerusalem soon before 2am where the soldiers had been marching, the army said, adding that one of them was “severely injured”.
Public radio said they were new recruits on their way to an induction ceremony at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.
