Escalating unrest has been confined to mainly the Arab side of the troubled city

Israel gave police authority to seal off Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem on Wednesday and will deploy soldiers on main roads to combat the worst spate of violence across Israel, Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank in years.

At a meeting of the security cabinet that finished in the early hours, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also allowed revocation of residency rights of Palestinians deemed to have committed "terrorism" and a step-up in the demolition of homes of people who carry out attacks.