JERUSALEM: Two Israelis were wounded, one critically, in a knife attack in annexed east Jerusalem on Friday, police said.Police said the attacker had been “neutralized” without specifying whether he had been killed or wounded.The Old City, where the attack took place, has been the scene of numerous stabbings of Israelis by wildcat Palestinian assailants in recent years.The first Israeli was stabbed near Damascus Gate. The second was attacked near Jaffa Gate on the other side of the walled city.Security has been stepped up across Jerusalem during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.Tens of thousands of believers were expected to gather at the Old City’s politically-contentious Al-Aqsa mosque compound later for the last Friday prayers of Ramadan.The attack came just two days before Israelis hold a major march to mark Jerusalem Day, the annual commemoration of the capture of east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967.It was later annexed in a move not recognized by the international community.In December 2017, US President Donald Trump broke with decades of bipartisan policy to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in a move that prompted the Palestinians to cut all contacts with his administration and which has sent tensions soaring.
