Tel Aviv, October 19 (RHC)-- Israel has rejected a proposal by France to send international observers to monitor the situation near the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday for the second time slammed France's draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to deploy monitors to the area, which has been witnessing deadly clashes for weeks. "Israel cannot accept the French draft resolution at the UNSC," Netanyahu said.

Paris submitted its proposal on the matter in a draft resolution to the UNSC on October 16, during an emergency meeting over the escalation of violence in occupied Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu first slammed the draft resolution on October 17, as "absurd," saying it was seeking the "internationalization of the holy places in the Middle East." Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also criticized the idea, saying Tel Aviv believed the deployment of international observers to the site would not help the situation.

This comes as several Palestinian students were injured by Israeli soldiers on Sunday during a protest against Tel Aviv's aggression on the Polytechnic University south of Hebron. There has also been a surge in violence in recent days, which has seen dozens of Palestinians accused of attempting to stab Israelis killed.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound or Temple Mount, as known by Israelis, has been witnessing a rise in tensions in recent weeks since Israel imposed harsh restrictions on the entry of Palestinians to the compound.

Palestinians are angry at increasing violence by illegal Israeli settlers, who frequently storm al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. They say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.