Palestinians torched a site revered by Jews in the West Bank in an incident that threatened to further inflame two weeks of deadly unrest, as fresh protests erupted today.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, under pressure over recent comments that some have labelled incitement, quickly condemned the fire at Joseph's Tomb, in the northern city of Nablus.
Video showed what looked like an extensive blaze, and the Israeli army called it "a despicable act" of desecration.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the arson attack at the opening of an emergency session of the Security Council called to discuss the escalating violence.
The arson came as Palestinians called for a "Friday of revolution" against Israel, and police barred men under 40 from attending the main weekly prayers at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque, seeking to keep young protesters away.
Israeli fire killed two Palestinians and wounded 98 others in clashes along the border in the Gaza Strip.
Another Palestinian died in clashes in Beit Furik near Nablus, while protests also broke out in Bethlehem and Hebron.
Outside the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, a Palestinian disguised as a news photographer stabbed and wounded a soldier before being shot dead.
Israeli security forces have deployed massively in Jerusalem after two weeks of Palestinian attacks in the city and across Israel.
Beginning Sunday, some 300 soldiers will reinforce police, stretched thin by the unrest.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his willingness to meet Abbas, while accusing him of inciting and encouraging violence.
"It's time that president Abbas stops not only justifying it, but also calling for it," Netanyahu told reporters.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who plans to travel to the region "in the coming days", also warned the Palestinian leader against incitement.
