A private security guard accidentally shot dead an Israeli man in Jerusalem late Wednesday after mistaking him for a "terrorist", a police spokesman said.

The incident occurred when a passenger getting off a bus got into an argument with two armed guards trying to get on it.

According to the guards, they asked the passenger for his identity papers but he then attempted to grab the gun from one of them who took him to be a "terrorist" and shot him dead, police said.

The shooting comes amid heightened tensions over spiralling Israeli-Palestinian violence.

At least 47 Palestinians and one Arab Israeli have been killed in the upsurge in violence that began at the start of the month, including alleged attackers. Eight Israelis have died.

Violent protests have also erupted in east Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for both sides to pull back from a "dangerous escalation" that could lead to a full-scale Palestinian uprising.
Source: AFP