Diplomatic rush as more blood is shed in Mideast
JERUSALEM -- Another stabbing attack Tuesday morning in the West Bank left an Israeli soldier wounded and the assailant killed, increasing the fear in the country that no place is safe.
The military said the Israeli officer was injured lightly in the stabbing. The army said the attack took place in the West Bank village of Beit Awwa near Hebron during a "violent riot" of Palestinian demonstrators.
The clashes are yet another guarantee that Israel will remain on edge, reports CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen. But the real dread is over random murder. An attacker Sunday killed a soldier before being killed himself.
The current unrest erupted in Jerusalem a month ago over tensions surrounding a Jerusalem holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims. It soon spread to Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem and then to the West Bank, Gaza and the rest of Israel.
The spate of daily attacks have caused panic across Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of heavy violence.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was to make a surprise visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday, in a high-profile gambit to bring an end to the wave of violence that has plagued the region.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki told Palestinian radio that Ban, who is currently in Europe, will arrive later Tuesday and meet with both sides. Ban will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, the two leaders' offices said.
There was no confirmation of a meeting between Ban and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but reports said the country's new ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, was on his way home to prepare for a meeting with the prime minister.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also headed to the region this week, set to meet with the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders, after stressing the need for both sides to step back and for Israel to give greater "clarity" on its policy regarding the sacred site in Jerusalem known to Jews as the Temple Mount, but also home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest shrine and a key national symbol for the Palestinians.
Over the past month, nine Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 21 labeled by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops.
The outbreak was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over the Temple Mount compound. Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying it has no plans to change the status quo at the site, where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray. It accuses the Palestinians of inciting to violence through the false claims.
Israel has struggled to contain attacks by Palestinian assailants. Authorities have blocked roads and placed checkpoints at the entrances of Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. Other security measures include ID checks and requiring some Palestinian residents to lift their shirts and roll up pant legs as they exit their neighborhoods to prove they are not carrying knives. Soldiers have been deployed in Jerusalem and cities across Israel.
Palestinians say the violence stems from anger over the Jerusalem holy site and nearly 50 years of occupation, as well as a lack of hope.
Netanyahu has also criticized a group of Israelis involved in the beating of an innocent African man who was first shot by security forces, mistaken for a terrorist. The Eritrean national, who came to Israel looking for work, later died in hospital.
No one, Netanyahu said, should take the law into their own hands.
Meanwhile, Petersen reports the Palestinians are now being egged on by ISIS, which has posted videos online urging them to expand their attacks to running over Israelis, or setting them on fire.