An Israeli court has accused two Palestinian schoolgirls living in the occupied territories of the attempted murder of a guard earlier this month.
According a Thursday police statement that quoted the charge sheet, the two 14-year-old girls from the central city of Ramle decided to carry out a stabbing attack after three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on February 3 at the Damascus Gate, one of the entrances to the Old City of al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The Tel Aviv regime claimed that the pair armed with kitchen knives went to Ramle’s shopping mall on February 4 so as to kill an Israeli soldier, but they target a private guard at the mall entrance as they did not find any troops.
The statement alleged that the teenagers stabbed the guard in the arm and legs, lightly injuring him and were arrested afterwards.
The juvenile court charged them with attempted murder, conspiracy and possession of knives, the statement said.
The development comes as the occupied Palestinian territories have been the scene of heightened tensions.
The latest wave of tensions was triggered by Israel’s imposition in August 2015 of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds.
The restrictions have enraged Palestinians, who are also angry at increasing violence by Israeli settlers frequently storming the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Palestinians say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.
More than 170 Palestinians, including children and women, have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces since the beginning of last October.