BICOM

Israeli Border Police yesterday prevented an attempted stabbing in Hebron while there were numerous incidents of stone throwing in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat.

Border police officers noticed a 19-year-old Palestinian man approaching them in a suspicious manner and ordered him to stop. When asked from a safe distance to show officers what he was carrying, he revealed a large knife. On questioning, he admitted that he had intended to stab a soldier, policeman or an Israeli civilian.

There have been a number of attacks on security personnel in recent weeks in the West Bank and Jerusalem. On Monday morning, a female Israeli soldier was stabbed in the neck by a Palestinian woman at a checkpoint near Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem. Two weeks ago, at the entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City, an 18-year-old Palestinian stabbed a border policeman, who was able to shoot his attacker.

Also yesterday, there were several incidents of stone throwing in Shuafat, in East Jerusalem, causing damage to the city’s light railway system. Shuafat was expected to be a flash point yesterday, as it marked the one year anniversary of the brutal murder of local boy Mohammed Abu Khadir by Jewish extremists. Abu Khadir’s father Hussein told Ynet, “We will have a ceremony in Mohammed’s memory in Shuafat today. I’m not interested in clashes.” Security services are also expected to be on alert for Friday prayers in Jerusalem today.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority (PA) forces are reported to have made around 50 arrests of Hamas members in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus. Hamas has frequently challenged the PA’s authority in the West Bank. On Wednesday, Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency revealed that it recently arrested around 40 Hamas activists establishing a Hamas headquarters in Nablus. Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon said this week that Hamas leaders based in Turkey were responsible for a spate of attacks in the West Bank which have seen two Israeli civilians shot dead in the last few weeks.