Jerusalem knife attacker wounds Israeli soldier

A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli soldier with a kitchen knife in Jerusalem on Sunday, wounding him moderately before he was arrested, police said.

The attack took place in west Jerusalem near the city's central bus station, where large numbers of soldiers catch buses each Sunday morning back to their bases after a sabbath break at home.

"A private security guard who saw the event overpowered the terrorist until police arrived at the scene. The terrorist is under arrest," a police statement said.

It was the second attack in Jerusalem in less than 24 hours.

A Palestinian man tried to stab an Israeli policeman on Saturday near the Old City and was shot dead by other officers, a police spokeswoman said.
A wave of violence since the start of October has claimed the lives of 132 people on the Palestinian side, 19 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes.

On Friday, Israeli border guards shot dead a Palestinian woman who tried to ram a car into them in the West Bank, shortly after a Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli forces near the border with the Gaza Strip.

A number of Palestinians have attempted attacks with kitchen knives in what some analysts have described as virtual suicide missions.

Palestinians have grown frustrated with Israel's occupation, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership.

Pope Francis, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, used his traditional Christmas Day address to urge Israelis and Palestinians to resume "direct dialogue", saying the conflict had "serious repercussions" on the Middle East.

US-backed peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel collapsed in April 2014 after nine months of fruitless meetings amid bitter recriminations and mutual blame.
Source :AFP