A Jewish man was stabbed today near the Old City of Jerusalem, in what authorities describe as a nationalistic attack.
The stabbed man reportedly managed to make his way to the Border Police station at the Old City’s Damascus Gate. The police escorted the victim to the Western Wall, where Magen David Adom emergency crews gave him first aid. He was then evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where he was said to be in light to moderate condition.
The assailant fled on foot in the direction of Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. Police closed off the entrances to the Old City.
The stabbing occurred in the wake of renewed anti-Israel incitement by the Palestinian Authority.
At the weekly cabinet meeting this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged:
Last Thursday I met with King Abdullah and US Secretary of State John Kerry. We called for a calming of the situation, the restoration of quiet and a halt to incitement and violence. I said that it is impossible to stop the violence without stopping the incitement that leads to violence.
Less than 24 hours after this meeting in Amman, the official media of the Palestinian Authority called for a day of rage in Jerusalem. Abu Mazen must halt the incitement that leads to acts of violence. This is one of the roots of the inflamed moods that are fueled by Islamist extremist propaganda and propaganda by the Palestinian Authority.
Abbas pledged in Amman to stop incitement. Less than 24 hrs later, PA TV called on Pal's to wage a "Day of Fire&Rage" pic.twitter.com/OynsOYPZvX
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) November 16, 2014
At the same time, according to the watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch, PA Minister of Religious Affairs Hassan Al-Saifi was quoted in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida saying “that Jerusalem has no need of declarations or religious rulings, but rather needs the religious scholars in particular to fulfill their duty, rush to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices and blood.”
On Thursday night, Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman in order to quell tensions in Jerusalem. An outcome of that meeting was Israel’s lifting of age restrictions on Muslims visiting the Temple Mount on Friday.
The continued incitement is at odds with Abbas’ commitment to reduce tensions. On Friday, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that “President Abbas made it clear that he is willing to do everything possible to restore calm.”
[Photo: Mattes / WikiCommons ]