Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmud Abbas said Monday he has called for an emergency UN Security Council session over the constant cycle of Arab rioting and violence, according to AFP - blaming Israeli "aggression" for the unrest, both throughout Jerusalem in general and on the Temple Mount in particular.
Abbas's comments surface amid high tensions in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, which saw an attack mowing down Israelis at the Ammunition Hill train stop on Wednesday night and an attack by a teenager throwing firebombs at Israeli civilians on Friday.
Both incidents received international attention, with many media outlets focusing on the Palestinian Arab terrorists being shot dead for launching the attacks instead of the attacks themselves.
Israel's Ambassador to Israel, Ron Prosor, called on the UNSC to condemn Wednesday's attack in particular - which fatally wounded a three month-old baby and an 18 year-old seminary student, among seven others - but the UNSC has yet to respond.
Violence in Jerusalem has been snowballing in recent months, in the "silent intifada" that broke out after the "revenge killing" of Arab teen Mohammed Abu-Khdeir by a mentally unwell man in July, after the abduction and murder of three Israeli teens resulting in a constant cycle of violent Arab rioting.
Earlier Monday, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat revealed that crime in Jerusalem had skyrocketed over the past several weeks, from 200 incidents per month to over 5,000.
In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday issued instructions to speed up the legislation of a law stiffening punishment for rock-throwers, which would mandate prison terms of up to 20-years in some cases. It follows the formation of a special police task force specifically to deal with the violence in Jerusalem.