BICOM

In two separate incidents, Palestinians attempted to stab Israeli soldiers in the West Bank yesterday. One officer was lightly wounded, while both assailants were shot dead at the scene.

The first incident occurred near Nablus, when 31-year-old Haitham Mahmoud Abd al-Jalil from a nearby village, attacked an Israeli patrol vehicle, throwing an object at it, possibly a Molotov cocktail. When soldiers exited the vehicle to inspect the damage and locate the source of the attack, al-Jalil stabbed one of them, a company commander, injuring him lightly. An IDF statement explained, “When the forces exited the vehicle, in order to assess the situation, an assailant drew a knife and stabbed and wounded an IDF officer.” The other troops on the scene subsequently opened fire, killing al-Jalil.

Earlier in the day, a Palestinian who attempted to stab a soldier manning the Beit Anun junction near Hebron was also shot dead. An IDF statement said, “A Palestinian assailant armed with a knife attempted to stab an IDF soldier. Forces on site responded and fired towards the attacker, resulting in his death.” On Tuesday, a similar attack occurred at the same junction, when two Palestinians attempted to stab soldiers and were killed. Yesterday’s incidents were the latest in near-daily attacks by Palestinians, which have seen at least 26 Israelis killed since the start of October.

In Jerusalem yesterday, Israeli police broke up a meeting of activists linked to the northern branch of the Islamic Movement. The organisation was banned in November for inciting violence and has been accused of stoking much of the tension during the current wave of attacks.

Earlier this week, IDF forces made a number of arrests in the West Bank, including twelve people suspected of direct involvement in attacks on soldiers and civilians in recent weeks. While making arrests in West Bank village of Kfar Irtah, Israeli soldiers uncovered weapons and ammunition suspected of being stockpiled for use in future attacks.