Palestinian Arab gunmen killed an Israeli police officer and critically wounded a second in an attack on a security post along a pedestrian footpath connecting northern Jerusalem to an adjacent Arab village late Thursday night.
Israel's Supreme Court recently ruled that police must leave roadblocks leading to the various entrances to Jerusalem open, despite regular security threats at the entry points used by the Palestinians.
Jerusalem Police Chief Ilan Franco suggested in remarks carried by Israel Radio that the ruling had directly enabled the deadly shooting.
Terrorists affiliated with US-backed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement claimed credit for the attack.