Last week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas talked of a risk of a global religious war. This week the images of a blood trail in a Jerusalem synagogue emerged after two Palestinians armed with meat cleavers and a gun killed five people before being shot dead themselves. It’s the deadliest incident in six years in the Holy City amid a surge in religious conflict. The two assassins belonged to the PFLP group (Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine). Benjamin Netanyahu gave warning of a ‘harsh response’ to the attack. Confrontations now in both Jerusalem and the West Bank underscore the tensions that have been ongoing for months. Politically sharp statements are coming from both sides.