JERUSALEM: The fate of a Palestinian boy seized centre stage Thursday in the battle of narratives accompanying the recent burst of deadly Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Palestinians were enraged by a video showing 13-year-old Ahmed Manasra lying in the street, his head bloodied and his legs splayed, as bystanders curse him and shout "Die!" in Hebrew.
The images, widely circulated on social media, made no mention of the preceding attack by Ahmed and his cousin Hassan, 15, who was then shot and killed by police Monday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ignited an uproar in Israel after falsely claiming in a televised speech that Israelis had "summarily executed" Ahmed, when the teenager actually was recovering at an Israeli hospital after he stabbed two Israelis, including a boy his own age.
The case has become a lightning rod for both sides.
Israel has repeatedly accused Abbas of fomenting violence with what it says are incendiary comments.
"Now we have a new big lie. That new big lie is that Israel is executing Palestinians," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. Still, he said he would be "perfectly open" to meeting Abbas to address what the Israeli leader said was a wave of incitement.
Abbas, who has long argued that armed attacks on Israelis go against Palestinian interests, has denied the Israeli allegations that he is fomenting unrest. He did not immediately respond to Netanyahu's offer.
In his speech Wednesday, Abbas said Israel has engaged in excessive force and the "summary execution of our children in cold blood".
The high-level name-calling highlighted the abyss between the two leaders at a time when prospects for a return to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations appear nil.
In the past month, eight Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. During the same period, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 14 labelled by Israel as attackers, and the others in clashes between stone-throwers and Israeli troops.
Israel has increased security across the country in response to the unrest. On Thursday, the military said it would deploy 300 soldiers in Jerusalem to help police maintain order, guard public transportation and the city's main streets.
Both sides use social media to promote their official narratives.