Bulldozer Attack Kills 4 in Jerusalem

Sharon's 2000 visit to contested shrine sparked years of violence

(AP) - Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem's holiest shrine today, firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing Palestinian protesters in a fresh eruption of violence in the country's most volatile spot. A wall of Israeli riot police behind plexiglass shields sent many protesters—overwhelmingly young men—running for cover into the black-domed al-Aqsa mosque. More»

(NEWSER) - Amid intense US-Israeli negotiations over settlements, Israel today brushed off Washington’s request to stop an American millionaire's housing project in East Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post reports. Palestinians have complained that it would change demographics in the Arab-dominated area. But Obama "had crossed a red line" in asking Israel to cease building in Jerusalem, said sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. More»

(AP) - A Palestinian driver rammed a construction vehicle into a bus and police car on an Israeli highway today, wounding two officers before he was shot dead. It was the third bulldozer attack in Jerusalem in the past eight months. Witnesses described a yellow front-loader speeding along Begin Highway, dragging the police car, flipping it into the air and trying to plow it into the bus, which had no passengers. More»

Driver rams bus, cars before he's killed; 16 injured in copycat attack

(NEWSER) - A Palestinian bulldozer driver wreaked havoc in downtown Jerusalem today, injuring at least 16 people, one critically, before being gunned down, Haaretz reports. It was a copycat attack, coming just weeks after a similar bulldozer rampage killed three in the Holy City. Police said a civilian saw the bulldozer leave its construction site, and started shooting when it began overturning cars. Police soon joined the fray and gunned the driver down. More»

Funds also frozen after Palestine's UNESCO membership

(NEWSER) - Palestine's membership in UNESCO has met a fierce response from Israel. A day after Palestine joined the United Nations' cultural body , Israel ordered the accelerated construction of 2,000 new homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. In what officials acknowledge is punishment for "unilateral actions," Israel has also temporarily frozen funds that it has collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, Voice of America reports. More»