Palestine: Israeli troops fired at stone-throwers in occupied West Bank clashes Monday, killing two Palestinian teens and raising fears about an escalation of violence at a time of growing diplomatic friction between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Recent tensions have been stoked by the mounting frustrations of a new generation of Palestinians over nearly half a century of Israeli military rule. Perceptions that Israel is trying to tighten its grip on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem also play a role. As part of security measures following the recent attacks, Jerusalem's Old City remained closed to Palestinians for a second straight day. Since late last week, four Israeli civilians were killed in two separate attacks, including a couple shot to death in the West Bank and a man stabbed in Jerusalem's Old City. Israeli forces shot dead two suspected Palestinian assailants. More than 450 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank over the weekend, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic service. Israeli security forces said Monday they had captured five alleged Hamas militants who carried out Thursday's killing of the Jewish settler couple. It said that an unspecified number of accomplices were also rounded up. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Jewish state was using an "iron fist" to crush a rising wave of Palestinian unrest. "We are not prepared to give immunity to anybody, not to any rioter ... or any terrorist, anywhere, and therefore there are no limits on the activities of the security forces," he said. Meanwhile, confrontations erupted in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem, and in the northern town of Tulkarem. In Bethlehem, stone-throwers clashed with Israeli troops. A doctor at a nearby hospital said 13-year-old, Abdel-Rahman Shadi died after being hit by a live bullet to the chest while another Palestinian protester was wounded. The Israeli military said dozens of Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli soldiers near the site. Troops initially fired tear gas and then responded with live rounds, the army said. It said it was investigating the incident. Earlier Monday, an 18-year-old Palestinian was killed in clashes in Tulkarem, according to the doctor there. Both he and his colleague in Bethlehem spoke on condition of anonymity. The military said hundreds of Palestinians threw firebombs and rocks at soldiers, and rolled burning tires toward them in the Tulkarem clash. The army said troops fired tear gas, stun grenades and then live rounds. Germany voiced concern about the risk of a "new intifada" following clashes in Jerusalem, three days ahead of a Berlin visit by Netanyahu."What possibly awaits us here is something like a new intifada," Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said. He added that it's important "to search for ways and means to resume talks in order to reach a permanent solution." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israel and the Palestinians to demonstrate calm. "Regarding Jerusalem, it absolutely is unacceptable on either side to have violence resorted to as a solution," he said. The latest surge of violence comes at a time when most Palestinians no longer believe in the possibility of statehood through negotiations with Israel, following years of failed negotiations. Vast gaps remain between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and hard-line Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the ground rules of negotiations, and the chances of serious talks are slim. At the same time, Abbas has not offered his people an alternative path to independence. He opposes violence, and his forces have clamped down on unrest in West Bank areas under his control. The impasse leaves many Palestinians feeling hopeless. A recent poll indicates that a majority no longer believes in the possibility of statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the lands Israel occupied in 1967. Late Sunday, Netanyahu pledged "a fight to the death against Palestinian terror" after meeting security chiefs and announced a package of new measures. They included swifter demolition of the homes of those accused of attacks, broader use of detention without trial for suspects, and police and troop reinforcements for Jerusalem and the West Bank.
