3 weeks of unrest in Jerusalem, West Bank

Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank have been hit by a new wave of violence, raising fears of events spinning out of control. Here is a timeline of three weeks of unrest:

September 13-15: Israeli police and Palestinian protesters clash at the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, with security forces firing tear gas and stun grenades and rioters throwing rocks and petrol bombs while barricading themselves in the mosque itself. The clashes coincide with celebrations for the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, often a tense period because of an increase in visits by Jews to the compound, which they call the Temple Mount.

September 16: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares "war" on stone-throwers with tougher penalties and new rules for security forces on when to open fire. He reveals the plans while visiting the site of a car accident that killed a Jewish man, with the crash caused by stone-throwing.

September 18: Palestinians and Israeli security forces clash in Jerusalem and the West Bank after the Islamist movement Hamas called for a "day of rage" over tensions at the Al-Aqsa mosque site. The Red Crescent says seven Palestinians are wounded by live fire and 44 by rubber bullets.

September 22: A Palestinian dies during an Israeli army operation in the southern West Bank while handling a makeshift explosive device, while troops shoot an 18-year-old woman at a checkpoint in Hebron who allegedly tries to stab a soldier. She later dies from her wounds. Photos of the shooting at the checkpoint later emerge, raising questions over the Israeli military's account, but authorities stand by their version of events. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warns of the risk of a new intifada, or uprising, over tensions at the Al-Aqsa compound.

September 27-28: New clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa compound as Jews begin celebrating the eight-day Sukkot holiday.

September 30: Abbas says in his speech to the UN General Assembly that he is no longer bound by previous accords with Israel, accusing the Israeli government of violating them. He pushes for a multilateral peace effort.

October 1: Netanyahu uses his UN speech to call for immediate direct peace talks with the Palestinians. He also calls on Abbas to "stop spreading lies about Israel's alleged intentions on the Temple Mount". After his speech, suspected Palestinian gunmen kill an Israeli couple in a car with their four young children in the West Bank.

October 3: A 19-year-old Palestinian kills two Israelis and wounds a woman and child in a gun and knife attack in Jerusalem's Old City before being shot dead by police.

October 4: A Palestinian attacker stabs and wounds a 15-year-old in Jerusalem. The attacker is shot dead by police. Israel tightens security and bans Palestinians from entering Jerusalem's Old City for two days except for residents, business owners and students. Clashes erupt in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, with the Red Crescent reporting 77 Palestinians wounded by both live rounds and rubber bullets.

Source: AFP