An Israeli policeman was wounded by a Palestinian terrorist in the second attack in less than 48 hours. On Friday, a civilian was killed and another wounded.
A Palestinian terrorist stabbed and critically wounded an Israeli border policeman near the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem Sunday morning.
The policeman, who sustained stab wounds to his neck, managed to shoot the terrorist.
The terrorist was described as an 18-year-old Palestinian from Hebron.
The policeman, in his early 20s, was evacuated to Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem after receiving initial treatment at the site of the attack. His assailant was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital, also in the capital.
Doctor Ofer Merin, deputy director-general of Shaare Zedek and head of the trauma unit, said the policeman’s life was still in danger after sustaining multiple stab wounds, including one in the heart.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who arrived at the scene of the attack, lauded the security forces for their quick and efficient response. “I want to commend the action of the Border Policeman, who, while injured, kept his cool and shot and neutralized the terrorist, thus saving lives and preventing further injuries, the mayor stated. “We must persist and continue our daily routines. I ask all the citizens of Israel to continue to visit Jerusalem and strengthen it.”
Briefing reporters after the attack, Jerusalem District Police Commander Moshe Edri said that the police had bolstered their forces ahead of the Muslim month of Ramadan. “The officer operated with courage,” he said. “The terrorist should be killed at the site of the incident.”
This act of terror follows the Friday attack in which a Palestinian terrorist shot two Israelis, murdering Danny Gonen and wounding another.
These attacks occurred after Israel lifted security restrictions on Palestinians from Judea and Samaria and Gaza as a good will gesture at the beginning of Ramadan.
“These are very significant measures taken based on [positive] assessments by the IDF Central Command, COGAT [Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories] and the Shin Bet [Israel’s Security Agency],” IDF spokesman Major-General Yoav Mordechai said. “They are conditioned on security calm.”
Responding to the recent attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday that “relative quiet in Judea and Samaria must not mislead anyone.”
“There are attempted terrorist attacks all the time; unfortunately, some of them succeed. The reason that most do not succeed is because of very accelerated action by the IDF and the Shin Bet [Israel’s Security Agency] and other elements on behalf of the State of Israel,” Netanyahu stated. He vowed to bring the terrorist to justice.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
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