Israel has deployed additional forces in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank after four Palestinians are killed in the last two days.
Israel has deployed additional forces in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank after its soldiers killed four Palestinians in the last two days amid heightened tensions over US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, which heavily favours Israel.
Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians on Thursday during a demonstration in Jenin against the demolition of a Palestinian house.
Read More: Trump to release details of plan for Israel-Palestine
One of those killed was named by official Palestinian news agency, as a 19-year-old student, Yazan Abu Tabekh. The second was identified as Palestinian policeman Tareq Badwan.
A Palestinian citizen of Israel was also killed after he was accused of opening fire on the police near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City
On Wednesday night, Israeli forces shot dead 17-year-old Mohammed al-Haddad during clashes in Hebron.
Meanwhile, 14 Israelis were injured on Thursday after a car rammed into soldiers in Jerusalem.
The driver was arrested and is being questioned, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told news agency, adding that there had been no new security-related incidents since Thursday evening.
Thousands of Palestinians prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam and a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The site is known to the Jews as the Temple Mount.
On Friday morning, Israeli police turned back busloads of worshippers en route from northern Israel to the mosque compound.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told there was “heightened security in Jerusalem”, including extra police units, particularly “in and around the area of the Old City”.
The rise in tensions came a week after President Trump released a controversial plan for the Middle East.
It would grant Israel a number of its long-held goals, including full control of disputed Jerusalem and a greenlight to annex all settlements and other parts of the West Bank.
In exchange, the Palestinians would be offered a state in the remaining parts of the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas immediately rejected the plan and called for street demonstrations.
Read More: Palestinians rejects Trump ‘peace plan’ expected to favour Israel
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and chief architect of the plan, on Thursday said Abbas “does have a responsibility” for the uptick in violence.
“He calls for days of rage in response and he said that even before he saw the plan,” Kushner told reporters after briefing United Nations Security Council members on the plan behind closed doors in New York.
On Friday, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Twitter that Kushner’s plan had “enabled Israel to move ahead with further annexation/colonization”.
“But he blames President Abbas because according to those like him, our mere existence and rights are the problem,” Erekat added.
Israel deploys more troops day in Jerusalem after Palestinians killed.