Netanyahu wants execution of Palestinian who allegedly stabbed 3 Israelis

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the execution of a Palestinian who allegedly stabbed to death three Israelis in the occupied West Bank last week.

"The death penalty for terrorists -- it's time to implement it in severe cases,” Netanyahu said in Jerusalem al-Quds on Thursday.

On July 21, a 19-year-old Palestinian allegedly attacked a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and stabbed four Israelis, killing three of them. He was shot and wounded by an off-duty Israeli officer.

The stabbings came after a day of protests and clashes over a series of new restrictive measures by Israeli forces at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of Jerusalem al-Quds.

The measures, which included installation of metal detectors, turnstiles, and additional surveillance cameras, had been imposed following an attack earlier this month.

On July 14, three Palestinians opened fire on Israeli forces at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, killing two of them before being shot dead.

Palestinian worshippers have strongly condemned Israel’s new restrictive measures at al-Aqsa Mosque, engaging in bitter clashes with Israeli military forces.

On Thursday, Muslim elders urged Palestinian worshippers to return to prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque after Israel backed down in the face of angry protests and removed all the restrictions at the holy site.

The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new tensions ever since Israeli forces introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in August 2015.

More than 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.

The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population. Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.

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