Three Palestinians shot dead amid clashes in the West Bank

Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians suspected of carrying out stabbing attacks on Tuesday, as clashes between protesters and Israeli forces in the West Bank left 143 Palestinians injured.

A Palestinian man was killed late Tuesday at a military checkpoint near Hebron after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, reported Palestinian-run Ma’an News Agency.

Earlier in the day, two Palestinians were shot and killed in the Gush Etzion settlement near Bethlehem after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier. The suspects were identified as Shabaan Abu Shkeidem, 17, and Shadi Nabil Abd al-Muti Dweik, 22, reported Ma’an.

Israeli forces also injured 82 Palestinian protesters – most with rubber-coated steel bullets – in clashes across the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry and Red Crescent. Sixty-one others suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Meanwhile in Israel, Richard Lakin, a 76-year-old American-Israeli educator wounded in an alleged Palestinian stabbing and shooting attack on a Jerusalem bus two weeks ago, died on Tuesday of his injuries, Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital said.

The recent surge in violence broke out in early October after Israel imposed restrictions on worshipers at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. After the restrictions were implemented, four Israelis were killed in two attacks blamed on Palestinians. Israeli settlers in the West Bank responded by rioting, assaulting Palestinians at random and destroying their property. A spate of protests, clashes and stabbings have ensued.

Since the beginning of October, at least 63 Palestinians and 11 Israelis have been killed. More than 2,000 Palestinians have also been injured in clashes with Israeli forces, forcing the Red Crescent to declare an emergency.

Palestinian protesters are calling for unrestricted access to worship at Al-Aqsa, a site also revered by Jews as the location of two ancient temples. The protesters also demand an end to Israel’s decades-long military occupation of the Palestinian territories and the cessation of settlement building, both of which are illegal under international law.

Al Jazeera and Reuters