Car-ramming foiled at West Bank checkpoint, police say

No injuries as woman in possession of knife emerges from vehicle, is subdued

Police said an East Jerusalem woman tried to carry out a car-ramming attack Tuesday at the flashpoint Qalandiya crossing in the West Bank.

The incident began when the woman, 31, a resident of the Beit Hanina neighborhood, approached the crossing at high speed in her vehicle. Troops opened fire, forcing her to stop. She then emerged from the car, shouting Allahu akbar (God is great).

Guards at the checkpoint subdued and arrested her, police said, adding that she was in possession of a knife.

There were no injuries to the woman or security forces.

الفتاة التي تم اعتقالها على حاجز قلنديا شمال القدس، بعد اطلاق النار على مركبتها بحجة محاولة دهس جنود للاحتلال. pic.twitter.com/9hj6BpQImr
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) December 13, 2016

The crossing, which links the capital to the Palestinian refugee camp of the same name, has seen many attempted attacks over the last year.

On November 22 a Palestinian man armed with a knife was shot and killed by Israeli security forces as he attempted to stab a guard there. According to police, the assailant walked toward guards manning an area meant for vehicular traffic. When asked for his ID, he drew a knife and “tussled” with a guard. He was then shot by responding forces.

A spate of stabbings by Palestinian assailants that began a year ago has waned over the last six months, though sporadic attacks have persisted.

From October 2015 to October 2016, 36 Israelis, two Americans and an Eritrean national were killed in stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks.

According to AFP figures, some 238 Palestinians, a Jordanian and a Sudanese migrant were also killed during the violent spurt, most of them in the course of carrying out attacks, Israel says, and many of the others in clashes with troops in the West Bank and at the Gaza border, as well as in Israeli airstrikes in the Strip.

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