A 19-year-old Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli man in Jerusalem on Thursday before being arrested, police said, the latest in a spate of knife attacks on Zionists.

A 19-year-old Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli man in al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Thursday before being arrested, police said, the latest in a spate of knife attacks on Zionists.

Police said the 25-year-old Israeli victim was in a serious condition after being stabbed in the neck near one of Jerusalem's main thoroughfares.

The incident occurred near a tramway station close to the national police headquarters, police said.

The suspect, said to be from Shuafat refugee camp in annexed east Jerusalem, later attacked a tramway guard and tried to take his gun before fleeing. Police initially gave his age as 15 before later correcting it to 19.

"He was arrested by police special forces who were in the area," occupation police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

There has been a series of knife attacks by Palestinians on Israelis in recent days in response to restrictions by the Zionist authorities on access to al-Aqsa Mosque.

Extremist Zionist Settlers, backed by occupation forces repeatedly storm al-Aqsa in the recent weeks, prompting the Palestinians to defend the holy compound.

At least four knife attacks have occurred in Jerusalem and six overall since Saturday, when a Palestinian killed two Israelis in the Old City, helping prompt an Israeli security crackdown.