Photo Credit: Nati Shohat / Flash 90
A sign announces the distance from the holy city of Jerusalem to the grave of the late PLO chairman Yasser Arafat at the Muqata in the Palestinian Authority capital of Ramallah.

Palestinian Authority unity government chairman Mahmoud Abbas – or “Abu Mazen,” the Fatah terrorist name he uses among Arabs – today (Tuesday Nov. 11, 2014) declared war on the State of Israel.

Claiming that Israel had launched the horrific Arab violence that is being perpetrated against Israelis across the country, Abbas vowed to seize Israel’s holiest city for the PA.

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“Israel is leading us into a religious war,” he told thousands of Arabs in the PA capital of Ramallah. Abbas spoke at a ceremony at the Muqata, the PA government seat, to mark 10 years since the death of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chairman Yasir Arafat.

“Jerusalem will be solely Palestinian,” Abbas vowed.

While Abbas was promising supporters in Samaria that he would lead them to victory in seizing Israel’s capital for their own, PA Arabs further south were clashing with IDF soldiers and Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon was completing a Gush Etzion brigade assessment.

“We are in the midst of an escalation,” Ya’alon told the troops. “We will take a firm hand to stop this wave of violence, including more widespread arrests than in the past, and the demolition of the homes of terrorists.

“The fate of any terrorist who raises his hand with a knife, or who uses a car to run people over, is death,” Ya’alon declared.

To the PA leadership, the defense minister added, “The Palestinian Authority and the entities working on the ground to prevent escalation are conducting coordination meetings with us. That is happening despite the rhetoric, calling for escalation, by the heads of the Palestinian Authority.”

Meanwhile, scores of Arabs hurled rocks and firebombs (Molotov cocktails) at Israeli soldiers in a violent riot at the Judean Arab village of El Aroub, a burgeoning community that once was a refugee camp. Located close to Highway 60, it is situated close to the Gush Etzion junction and slightly south of Bethlehem.

IDF soldiers responded to the violence with riot control measures and when it became necessary, opened fire in self-defense. A 21-year-old PA Arab was allegedly shot and killed in the melee.

At least 150 PA Arabs were also clashing with IDF soldiers Tuesday in an area south of Hebron, and close to the Jewish community of Negohot.

Security forces were using riot dispersal measures to control the mob and bring the incident to an end without injuries. By 3pm there were no reports of casualties.

Israel’s governing cabinet was set to meet in emergency session Tuesday afternoon in light of the escalation in violence around the country.

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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.