Israeli police killed an Arab terrorist just hours after he had critically wounded Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick. Tensions in Jerusalem remain extremely high.
Yehuda Glick. (Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
Israel’s special police unit tracked down and killed the Arab terrorist who had tried to assassinate Yehuda Glick, executive director of the Haliba Movement for Jewish Freedom on the Temple Mount, on Wednesday evening. Acting on intelligence provided by the Shabak (Israel’s Security Agency), the police forces arrived at a home in Jerusalem where the terrorist was hiding and attempted to arrest him just a few hours after he had executed the terror attack. The terrorist opened fire on the police and was killed in the ensuing gun battle
Further forces were deployed in the neighborhood to maintain the peace and prevent Arab rioting.
The terrorist was identified as Muatez Hijazi, 32, a known member of the Islamic Jihad. Hijazi had spent 11 months in Israeli prisons for terrorist activities. Police are investigating the possibility that Hijazi was the one who attacked an IDF soldier at Har Hatzofim in August.
Upon his release from prison, he said in an interview:
“I am happy to return to Jerusalem. I wish to be a thorn in the throat of the Zionist plan to Judaize Jerusalem.”
Hijazi was an employee at the Terasa restaurant, located inside the Begin Heritage Center where Glick had been speaking moments before.
Israel’s Channel 2 reports that the Islamic Jihad terror group had claimed responsibility for the attempted murder. “The assassination attempt on Glick is an act of Palestinian vengeance, in response to what is happening in Jerusalem,” an Islamic Jihad spokesman stated Thursday.
Chilling Eyewitness Account
Moriah Halamish, who attended a Haliba conference in Jerusalem prior to the shooting, witnessed the attempted assassination. She told Israel National News: “We were standing outside, and suddenly I hear Yehuda shout ‘no!’ I turned around and saw a gun. I heard a gunshot. He told me ‘run, you are a witness to a murder.’ I began to run and heard more gunshots. A motorcycle passed us. I turned around and called the police. In the meantime we began to treat Yehuda. He lay on the ground and had two large wounds. The police arrived at the scene.”
Glick, 50, underwent surgery overnight. His condition is categorized as critical but stable, and he is scheduled to undergo further medical procedures on Thursday to determine the extent of the damage.
Lockdown on the Temple Mount
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Author: Aryeh Savir
Staff Writer, United with Israel