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• According to the Israel Police, the militant had entered a shop on Jaffa Street near the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem and stabbed two Israeli citizens at the shop. He was imminently shot at and neutralized by an Israeli Border Guard personnel.  
• The Israel Police further stated that the assailant is a 17-year-old Palestinian from the Hebron area in the West bank.  
• The Police identified two suspects who may have assisted the militant in his plot. No further information was given, as per the time of writing.  
• Reports indicate that the two wounded citizens are Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis. They are currently being treated at a hospital. They are moderately wounded but are stable.  
• The assailant reportedly does not have any prior record of involvement in security-related incidents.  
• Meanwhile, earlier on September 13, an attempted stabbing attack against an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier was thwarted at the Gush Etzion junction in the West Bank.  

1. Successful militant attacks in the western part of Jerusalem have been rare in recent years. The current attack comes at a time of heightened tensions between Palestinians and Israelis particularly since September 6, when six Palestinian prisoners escaped the Gilboa Prison. Palestinians are rallied behind the prisoners, anti-Israel sentiments were reinvigorated following this development, and a marked increase in violent incidents was recorded across the Palestinian Territories, including throughout the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The current attack highlights how elevated tensions also prompt residents of the West Bank, including minors, to plan and carry out militant attacks, with white weapons, within Israel’s 1967 borders. The fact that the assailant was 17 years old and had no prior militant record highlights how these elevated tensions, whereby Palestinian militant factions constantly call for attacks against Israel, form a catalyst for such plots.  
2. At the current juncture, it is possible that the attacker had a permit to enter Israel’s 1967 borders and had taken advantage of this ability to enter Jerusalem from the West Bank. With that being said, and particularly given that the Israel Police is investigating a potential scenario where he was assisted by other accomplices, it is also plausible that the assailant had no such permit and had infiltrated from the West Bank illegally. Either way, the attack itself highlights the security gap in which Israeli security forces are unable to fully mitigate the risk of militancy. This risk is compounded by the fact that infiltrations into Israel by Palestinian workers with no entry permit is a widespread phenomenon.  
3. The fact that the perpetrator was shot and neutralized instantly following the attack, highlights the extensive presence and vigilance of Israeli security forces, particularly at times of escalation and near central locations, such as Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station. FORECAST: Given the elevated tensions, Israeli security forces will further bolster the deployment of security personnel in and around central locations, in Jerusalem and other large cities. In Jerusalem, Police forces may resort to restricting movement in parts of the city, particularly around East Jerusalem and the Old City. Based on the ongoing investigation over how the assailant reached western Jerusalem, Israeli authorities may also resort to dedicate resources to clamp down on illegal entry into Israel’s 1967 borders of Palestinians from the West bank. Amid the elevated tensions, and as Palestinian factions from across the Palestinian political arena will praise the attacker, the attack may inspire additional similar attempts to carry out militant attacks over the coming days and weeks.  

1. Travel to Israel may continue at this time, while adhering to the authorities’ current COVID-19-related restrictions and security precautions regarding militant attacks. 
2. In major Israeli cities, remain vigilant in crowded commercial areas or public transport hubs, as these locations have been targeted by militant groups in the past. Alert authorities to suspicious, unattended packages in these areas. 
3. As a general precaution, avoid nonessential travel to the vicinity of Jerusalem’s Old City, particularly in the vicinity of Damascus Gate, due to the increased potential for Palestinian residents in this area to conduct acts of militancy and engage in civil unrest against Israeli security forces and civilians.