Israel presses security measures as Jews assaulted at holy site
Israel presses ahead with major security measures Sunday while ultra-Orthodox Jews illegally visiting a West Bank holy site set ablaze last week were assaulted by Palestinians.
The incident at the holy site overnight and the stabbing attacks or attempts on Saturday came after more than two weeks of relentless violence and unrest, raising fears of a full-scale Palestinian uprising.
The incident saw a group of about 30 religious students from a school in Jerusalem travel to Joseph's Tomb in the northern West Bank city of Nablus despite not having the required authorisation from Israel's military.
They told police they intended to repaint the shrine after the fire.
According to Israeli authorities, Palestinian police beat at least some of them with their batons and the butts of their guns. A group of Palestinian civilians arrived afterward and also beat them, according to Israeli police.
They were not reported to have been seriously injured.