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Jerusalem Terror, Rioting Part of Bigger Plot

CBN

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- For several weeks, violent riots and terror attacks have rocked neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem. Palestinians accuse Israel of endangering the al-Aksa Mosque, but what's really behind their accusations?

In yet another terror attack, a Palestinian terrorist used a vehicle as a weapon to plow into Israelis, killing one and wounding 13 others Wednesday.

The incident took place at a busy intersection not from Jerusalem's Old City. It's the second attack of this kind in two weeks and many are wondering if this is the new weapon of choice for Palestinian terrorists.

Later, another terrorist rammed into three soldiers at a bus stop outside of Jerusalem.

Earlier in the day, Palestinians rioted on the Temple Mount. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said they're separate issues.

"There are tensions in Jerusalem, but our aim is to do everything possible to deal with these types of incidents and, of course, to stay one step ahead and prevent those incidents from taking place," Rosenfeld said.

But Hamas itself made the connection. Shortly after the first attack on Wednesday, the terror group said it was intended to defend al-Aksa, referring to the mosque and all the Temple Mount.

Israel said Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is inciting violence by telling Palestinians the al-Aksa Mosque is in danger.

"We've seen it on the ground level with Fatah," Rosenfeld explained. "The Israeli police have had to deal with Palestinian suspects throwing stones at police officers."

Israel's Foreign Ministry posted a video it says shows Palestinian youth preparing and fighting Israel police on the Temple Mount.

A growing number of Jews want to pray on the Mount, where only Muslims are allowed to pray. The Israeli government says it won't allow that to happen.

Palestinian affairs expert Pinhas Inbari told CBN News the trouble is part of a bigger plot.

"It is not spontaneous. It is coming from Muslim Brotherhood and behind the Muslim Brotherhood is Qatar," Inbari said.

Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has the al-Nusra group in Syria and Bayt al-Makdas in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

"All of them together and they want to make Jerusalem the main subject, top of the agenda in order to regain the Arab masses again," he explained.

Inbari said Abbas stopped short of directly paying Palestinians to commit terror, but Hamas is filling in the gap. He said, however, the call to violence isn't resonating with most Palestinians.

"But it is far, far below the expectation of Muslim Brotherhood. Jerusalem by far, generally speaking, is not dragged into the conflict," Inbari said.

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