A Jerusalem court jailed a Palestinian man Wednesday for 16 years for the December stabbing of two Israeli border policemen in east Jerusalem.

The court said Mussa Ajlouni, 20, from Jerusalem's Old City, pleaded guilty in a plea bargain to two counts of attempted murder over the December 26 attack on the officers, near his home.

Police at the time described the injuries as light, but the charge sheet said one of the officers suffered damage to tendons and nerves in his hand and required further treatment.

The other victim had a cut to his neck.

The court was told that Ajlouni had a history of drug abuse and violent crime

The attack came at a time of frequent clashes in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, as well as a series of "lone wolf" attacks on Israeli civilians.

A more intense round of violence erupted at the start of October 2015. So far, it has claimed the lives of at least 77 people on the Palestinian side -- one of them an Israeli Arab -- along with 10 Israelis. Many of the Palestinians killed were alleged attackers.
Source: AFP