Israel seals Palestinian village amid West Bank tension

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces on Saturday slapped a siege around the hometown of a Palestinian man, who allegedly killed three Jewish settlers in a nearby settlement.

On Friday, Monir al-Abed, a 20-year old Palestinian, sneaked into the Halamish settlement, northwest of Ramallah and allegedly stabbed four settlers.

Three settlers were killed and another was injured in the alleged attack, which came amid tension across the West Bank after Friday prayers over Israel's refusal to remove metal detectors it installed at the gates of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque following a deadly shootout.

In a statement, the Israeli army said its forces have sealed the Kobar village in the West Bank and "exit from it will be possible only in humanitarian cases".

The military said it has mapped the attacker's home in preparation to its demolition.

According to the statement, the brother of al-Abed was arrested during the operation.

- Dozens arrested

In a related development, two dozen Palestinians were detained in Israeli raids in East Jerusalem on Saturday.

In a statement, Israeli police said four Palestinians were arrested in overnight raids in Jerusalem’s Old City for participating in protests on Friday.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an NGO, said 21 Palestinians were also detained across the city during Friday rallies staged against Israeli detectors at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

According to the NGO, ten of the detainees were beaten by Israeli forces during the arrests.

Three Palestinians were killed and scores injured in clashes with Israeli forces across East Jerusalem on Friday.

Anger spilled over across the West Bank since last week when Israel shut the Al-Aqsa Mosque, revered by both Muslims and Jews, who call it Temple Mount, following a deadly shootout.

The mosque was reopened after a two-day closure with Israel installing metal detectors at the mosque gates, which Palestinians say aim to change the status quo -- a delicate balance of prayer and visiting rights.

Israel, for its part, has refused to remove the detectors, claiming the security measures were similar to procedures taken at other holy sites around the world.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming all of Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s "eternal" capital -- a move never recognized by the international community.

Sacred to Muslims, Jews, and Christians, Jerusalem is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third-holiest site.