The above video, which appeared on Palestinian television and shared on social media, shows the aftermath of the stabbing in Ramallah.“When the other officers saw the stabbing, they opened fire, which led to his incapacitation,” police said in a statement. “When the troops approached the terrorist, they identified an explosive belt, which led to additional fire to prevent him from triggering it.”The Israel Police said that they were also investigating the suspicion that Aqel infiltrated the area by pretending to be a journalist, which is how he may have managed to get close enough to stab the officer.Picture allegedly showing #Palestinian who lightly injured #Israel(i) border police officer in stabbing attack near #Ramallah. Authorities checking if he was wearing a suicide vest or if it’s fake pic.twitter.com/onGgVQ67dz
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) December 15, 2017
Riots also took place in east Jerusalem over the weekend. Police said that 18 people were arrested for disrupting the public order. A Red Crescent representative said that 16 Palestinians were wounded.Following Friday prayers at al-Aksa Mosque, which thousands attended, violence broke out between police and protesters near the Old City’s Damascus Gate.Despite metal fences that had been placed in the plaza outside Damascus Gate to prevent protesters from gathering, demonstrators managed to assemble.The crowd chanted slogans such as “Not West and not East – all of Jerusalem is Palestinian,” and, “Trump, Trump, you will see – Palestine will be free.”HAPPENING NOW: Police disperse protesters at Damascus Gate pic.twitter.com/ZwSGrEYvK0
— Udi Shaham (@udi_shaham) December 15, 2017
— Udi Shaham (@udi_shaham) December 15, 2017Police forcefully dispersed the protesters from the plaza, and clashes broke out on nearby Sultan Suleiman Street. Police said that five people were arrested.On Saturday, violence also erupted outside Damascus Gate, during which six people were arrested.Overnight Friday, confrontations broke out in the Isawiya and a-Tur neighborhoods. Rioters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, and fired fireworks directly at border police and Israel police.Seven people were arrested.Police also arrested two women for assaulting a police woman and breaking her hand outside Damascus Gate on Thursday. The court extended the women’s remand until December 18.The Israel Police said in a statement that it would maintain its high alert throughout the capital, particularly in east Jerusalem.“Every attempt to disrupt the order, including attacking police officers, will be answered with an immediate and firm response,” the statement read.Later on Friday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip fell short of Israel, hitting a residential building in Beit Hanun in the northeastern part of the enclave, causing considerable damage to it.“Only a week ago, a classroom was destroyed in a public school in Beit Hanun, and this evening, in another unfortunate incident, the house of an Egyptian family from Beit Hanun was badly damaged by a rocket fired by terrorist operatives from Gaza,” read an Arabic-language Facebook post by the coordinator of government activities in the territories.The past week has seen the most serious level of violence between Israel and Hamas since the end of Operation Protective Edge in 2014. So far in 2017, 23 rockets targeted Israel, 12 of which were fired in the past week, with four being intercepted and eight striking in Israel.Reuters contributed to this report.