The car after the attack. (Tazpit News Agency)
In a growing wave of Ramadan-related violence, four young Israelis were wounded in a Palestinian terror attack Monday. One victim is fighting for his life.
Four Israelis in their 20s were wounded Monday night, one of them critically, when Palestinian terrorists opened fire on the car they were driving on a road in the Binyamin region near the communities of Shiloh and Shvut Rachel in Samaria.
The four were driving back from a basketball game when the attack occurred. One of the passengers managed to exit the car and return fire with a handgun he was carrying.
The four, suffering from bullet wounds to their upper and lower bodies, were evacuated to hospitals in Jerusalem.
The most severely wounded victim, Malachi Moshe Rosenfeld, sustained bullet wounds to his lower back. He was operated on overnight and his life is still in danger. The other three sustained light and moderate wounds.
Rosenfeld’s older brother was killed by a terrorist in 2002 while hiking.
Security forces launched a manhunt for the assailants. Investigators at the scene of the attack have yet to discern if the terrorists ambushed the four or whether it was a drive-by attack.
A Month of Ramadan Terror
IDF officers evaluating the situation after the attack. (IDF)
This most recent act of terror is among a rapidly growing list of attacks executed by Palestinian Arabs during the Muslim month of Ramadan. In total, Palestinians have carried out six terror attacks over the course of 11 days.
Misoun Mussa, a female Arab terrorist, stabbed and critically wounded a female IDF Border Police officer Monday morning at a checkpoint near Bethlehem. The terrorist was apprehended by the IDF and turned over to the Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency).
On Friday, a Palestinian terrorist was killed in the Jordan Valley when he opened fire on IDF soldiers at a checkpoint.
Last Sunday, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed and critically wounded an Israeli border policeman near the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The policeman, who sustained stab wounds to his neck, managed to shoot the terrorist.
This followed an attack the previous Friday in which a Palestinian terrorist shot two Israelis, murdering 25-year-old Danny Gonen and wounding another.
These attacks occurred after Israel lifted security restrictions on Palestinians from Judea and Samaria and Gaza as a goodwill gesture for the month of Ramadan.
PA Has Not Condemned Terror Attacks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meeting on Tuesday with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentilloni, said at the start of their session:
“I would like to send my best wishes for a rapid and full recovery to the Israeli citizens who were wounded last night in the terrorist attack near Shilo and to the soldier who was stabbed near Rachel’s Tomb. Attempts to attack us do not halt even for a moment. The ISA and IDF have foiled dozens of terrorist attacks since the start of the year and over 200 since the start of 2014. We are determined to take strong action and deal with the terrorists to the fullest extent of the law. The fact that up until now, the Palestinian Authority has not condemned these attacks needs to bother not only us, but also the international community as a whole. Those who do not take an unequivocal stand against terrorism cannot wash their hands.”
Member of Knesset (MK) Motti Yogev, a member of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, called on the security establishment to reverse its policy of appeasement. “The security system must reevaluate the situation and ask itself what will amplify the security and restore the deterrence. These terror attacks will stop only if we adopt a stringent policy against the terrorists, their families, their organizations and where they live. It is inconceivable that while the Palestinians enjoy an ease in honor of their holiday, they are exploiting it to murder and harm Jews.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely placed the onus for the wave of terror attacks on the Palestinian leadership. “The Palestinians continue playing a double game of hypocrisy. They are inflaming the area and inciting terrorism, while turning to international bodies under the guise of morality and justice. We must restore security to the citizens of Israel at all costs,” she stated.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
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