2 Israeli police officers stabbed in Jerusalem; assailant is shot

A Palestinian assailant stabbed two police officers outside Jerusalem's Old City early on Monday and was shot, police said, following a bloody weekend that shattered weeks of relative calm.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said a female police officer was stabbed in the neck and badly wounded while a male officer was moderately injured. Officers shot at the assailant and critically wounded him, she said.

Samri said the assailant is in his 20s and from east Jerusalem.

The incident outside Herod's Gate, near a bustling Palestinian commercial street, follows a weekend surge in Palestinian attacks that shattered weeks of relative calm.

Four Palestinians, one of whom held Jordanian citizenship, were shot dead over the weekend during assaults on Israelis, according to Israeli authorities. On Sunday a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli army officer in the chest outside a West Bank settlement before soldiers shot and wounded the attacker.

Spike in violence

The spike in violence spurred the Israeli military to send troop reinforcements to the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the potential for violence could rise as the Jewish high holidays approach.

Since last September, Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis and two American visitors in stabbing, car ramming and shooting attacks.

About 214 Palestinians were killed during that same period. Israel says the vast majority were attackers.

Palestinians have accused Israeli forces of using excessive force or killing people who were not assailants.

Israel has blamed the violence on incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The Palestinians say it is rooted in nearly 50 years of military occupation and dwindling hopes for independence.