At least one Israeli has been killed and two others injured in a shooting attack at a shrine in the West Bank city of Nablus.
At least one Israeli has been killed and two others injured in a shooting attack at a shrine in the West Bank city of Nablus.
"The body of one person who was killed and two others wounded were brought to an army base (outside Nablus)," a military spokesman said.
The Israeli army claimed the attack occurred at a site known as 'Joseph's Tomb' and that the assault was likely carried out by Palestinian fighters. A spokesperson, however, added the military was "investigating other options" as well.
Meanwhile, a Tel Aviv security officer told the Israeli public radio that the casualties mostly included a group of ultra-Orthodox Hassidic Jews.
"They went into Joseph's Tomb to pray for just a few seconds," he said.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews frequently defy a military ban on entering the shrine that is in Palestinian-controlled territory.
The incident came in the wake of Israeli forces' Friday attack on a group of Palestinian and international activists protesting Tel Aviv's separation barriers built on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
At least 13 demonstrators were injured on Friday when Israeli soldiers clashed with protesters in the town of Bil'in, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Elsewhere, three Palestinians were wounded in separate incidents after Israeli troops attacked the blockaded Gaza Strip on the same day, according to medical sources.
Turkey
Turkish ambassador to the UN - Ertugrul ApakanTurkey
In politics, the Turkish ambassador to the UN, Ertugrul ApakanTurkey has expressed support for the unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence and has urged the international community to help Palestinians "live in peace and with dignity."
Turkey joined the list of countries backing the Palestinian Authority's quest to gain UN recognition for an independent state, Today's Zaman reported in an article published on Saturday.
“Through their state building efforts, the Palestinian Authority has proven to all the skeptics that they deserve to attain their decades-long target of internationally recognized statehood, even though they continue to suffer under occupation,” Turkey's UN ambassador, Ertugrul Apakan, said on Thursday.
If Palestinians prove objectively ready to move from the current observer status at the UN into full statehood, the international community “must not turn a blind eye to their just and legitimate appeal,” the English-language daily quoted Apakan as saying at a Security Council session on the Middle East.
“The time has come to show solidarity with the Palestinians and help them to live in peace and dignity,” the Turkish diplomat stated.
Apakan also insisted that the needs of those who live in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip must be urgently addressed.
Al-Quds
Tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world annually flood the “Old City” of al-Quds during Holy Week (the week preceding Easter,) to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, an ancient structure built over the spot Christians believe to be the tomb of Jesus Christ and one of the most sacred spots in Christendom.
This year, however, a heavy Israeli police presence has prevented the vast majority of Christian pilgrims, including West Bank-based Palestinian Christians, from reaching the church to pray and attend the ceremonies within.
Christian pilgrims anxious to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were met instead by a phalanx of Israeli police check points -- both at the gates of the Old City, and inside.
The Israeli checkpoints, manned by at least a thousand Israeli policemen, imposed even more restrictions than usual on the crowds of worshippers, preventing many of them from attending the ceremonies.
Israel has denied free access to holy places of worship to both Christians and Muslims, on several important religious occasions.
