Palestinian killed while trying to attack Israeli troops, Israeli military says

A Palestinian was shot dead after trying to attack Israeli troops with a knife on Friday, the Israeli military said, but otherwise a planned “Day of Rage” seem to pass quietly in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. 

The Israeli army said the Palestinian, identified as 24-year-old Abdullah Ali Mahmoud Taqatqa, was killed when he tried to charge at Israeli soldiers near the Gush Etzion junction, a major road junction in the West Bank. No Israelis were injured. 

Israeli officials had feared that thousands of young Palestinians might clash with Israeli troops soldiers after two weeks of tension over the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Israel banned men under 50 from going to the mosque after clashes on Thursday. 

But by Friday afternoon there were only sporadic confrontations in the West Bank and the afternoon prayers passed peacefully in Jerusalem.  

Thousands of young Muslim men, unable to get to the al-Aqsa mosque, instead prayed in the streets of east Jerusalem in the 85F (29C) heat.  

Although frustrated that they could not get to the mosque, many of the young Palestinians said they felt victorious after forcing Israel to back down over new security measures at the entrance to al-Aqsa.

Israel installed metal detectors and cameras after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli police officers on July 14 but the government removed the security measures on Thursday in the face of a Palestinian backlash.  

“It’s one of the proudest moments in my whole life,” said Bassel Jafar, a 22-year-old Palestinian who prayed on Saladin Street in east Jerusalem. All of the people are standing together against the occupation. I wish this will continue.”

Demonstrators said they felt “the victory” had been won by ordinary people with no help or support from the Palestinian Authority, the semi-autonomous Palestinian government in the West Bank, or from Arab states that nominally support the Palestinians. 

Mahmoud Abbas, the unpopular Palestinian president, gave permission for the armed wing of his Fatah party to help organise demonstrations against Israel in the West Bank on Friday. 

But there was little sign that the involvement of the militia groups, known as the Tanzim, made any difference and protests were smaller than the spontaneous demonstrations that erupted last week.