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After attacks in Jerusalem, fears grow of religious war

Palestinians believe Israel is threatening to ignite a religious war between Palestinian Muslims and Israeli Jews, taking advantage of the unrest in the Arab and Islamic world.
Members of the Israeli Zaka emergency response team stand at the scene of an attack at a Jerusalem synagogue November 18, 2014. Two suspected Palestinian men armed with axes and knives killed four people in a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday before being shot dead by police, Israeli police and emergency services said, the deadliest such attack in the city in years. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR4EJEF

RAMALLAH, West Bank — An attack on a synagogue in western Jerusalem on Nov. 18 left four Israelis dead, as well as the two Palestinian perpetrators. This attack came a day after the death of a Palestinian bus driver in East Jerusalem.  According to Quds News, Israeli settlers strangled the driver, while Israeli media described the death as a suicide. Several Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, gave their blessing to the synagogue attack, which considered it a normal reaction to Israeli violations of holy sites and aggression of Jerusalemites.

During a meeting of the Fatah Revolutionary Council on Nov. 18, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the synagogue attack and the targeting of all houses of worship including Christian and Muslim holy sites.

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