A Palestinian protester hurls stones at Israeli soldiers during clashes at the Hawara checkpoint, south of the West bank city of Nablus on July 21, 2017. People protested against new Israeli security measures implemented at the entrance to the al-Aqsa mosque compound, which include metal detectors and cameras, following an attack that killed two Israeli policemen the previous week. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)
BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The escalating tension between Israel and Palestine in Jerusalem's Old City has left dozens dead or injured and drawn attention from the international community.
The United Nations Security Council will hold an urgent meeting on Monday morning to discuss the violence unfolding in Jerusalem, diplomats said on Saturday.
The meeting will be held behind closed doors, according to the UN mission of China, president of the UN Security Council for July.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Middle East Quartet-- Russia, the United States, the European Union and the UN -- expressed concern over the escalating tension.
On Saturday night, Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police renewed clashes outside East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, a day after a similar clash in which three Palestinians were killed and nearly 400 others injured after the Friday prayers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
On July 14, Israel shut down the holy site and installed checkpoints and metal detectors at its entrances after a shooting attack earlier that day, which killed three Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and two Israeli security officers in the yard of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The shut-down and metal detectors have sparked a huge protest. The Israeli behavior is seen by the Palestinians as a violation of the status quo at the Muslim-run compound and an Israeli attempt to gain more control over the holy site.
In response, Palestinians called for a day of rage to protest against Israel.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced Friday a freeze of all contact with Israel until it commits to canceling security measures in Jerusalem, especially at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"We reject the so-called e-gates as political measures that are covered by a false security cover," Abbas said in a speech after an emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership.
As news of Abbas' ultimatum broke, the Israeli military reported that on Friday night, a 20-year-old Palestinian entered a family home in the settlement of Halamish, stabbing to death a father, his daughter and his son before he was shot and injured by a neighbor.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the knife attack.
Ramallah-based political analyst Mohammad Daraghmeh told Xinhua that he believes that tension may continue for a while.
"The people are united, and they feel their identity is threatened by the accumulating Israeli measures and interventions in Al-Aqsa Mosque," said Daraghmeh.
The Arab League repeatedly condemned the Israeli practices at Al-Aqsa Mosque as a blatant breach of the right of worship and violation of relevant international laws and UN resolutions.
The recent Israeli measures intensified the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that has lasted for decades.
Israel is criticized by the international community for the stalled peace process because of its settlement expansion policy.
The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city in light of the UN-proposed two-state solution.
