Palestinian shot when throwing bomb at patrol

A Palestinian man was shot as he tried to hurl an improvised explosive device at a Border Police patrol in the West Bank south of Jerusalem.

The officers fired at the man, hitting him in his lower body, and he was taken to a hospital.

A sapper arrived on the scene to defuse the explosive device.

The incident occurred near Rachel’s Tomb, a Jewish pilgrimage site in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

The attack was the latest in a string of violent incidents in the capital and surrounding area over the past several weeks.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with the defense minister, the public security minister, the intelligence minister, the head of the Shin Bet security service and other officials to discuss the possibility of easing the rules of engagement against stone throwers.

“The policy is zero tolerance for stone-throwing and zero tolerance for terrorism,” Netanyahu said, regarding stoning and firebomb incidents in Jerusalem as well as along Route 443, a major highway leading to the capital that has recently been the scene of several attacks.

Among the measures to be taken are the deployment of 400 additional officers and two companies of Border Police in Jerusalem. Along Route 443, intelligence and observation measures are to be increased and a plan to install lighting and security cameras along the length of the road is under consideration.

“Since the legal system is finding it difficult to deal with stone-throwing by minors, changing open-fire orders regarding the throwing of stones and firebombs will be examined, as will be the imposition – by law – of minimum sentences for those who throw stones and firebombs,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement Wednesday