Palestinian man to be indicted for killing settler in ramming terror attack in March

Dawas Hassoun, a Palestinian man in his 50s, will be indicted for the fatal ramming of 18-year-old Yehuda Sherman in the West Bank in March, police and the Shin Bet announce, classifying the incident as a terror attack.

Sherman had been traveling in an ATV with two others in the Palestinian town of Beit Imrin, north of Nablus, on March 21.

Police allege that Hassoun, who lives in the town, intentionally hit the ATV with his truck.

The vehicle slid into a valley and Sherman was fatally wounded in the impact. The two other men — his older brother, Daniel, and the driver — were lightly injured.

Police began investigating the incident as a lethal car accident, but later announced that they were probing the possibility that it was nationalistically motivated.

“When the defendant noticed three Israelis traveling in the village at the time, he made up his mind to hurt them should they slow down,” the law enforcement agencies say in a statement. “After chasing them for a short time, the defendant intentionally rammed the Ranger [vehicle] the three were traveling in.”

Police additionally say they arrested Hassoun’s son after conducting a search of the family home and finding a submachine gun and hunting rifle in his possession. An indictment will also be filed against him in the next few days.

Sherman lived in the illegal settlement outpost of Shuva Yisrael Farms in the northern West Bank. He was conducting a “land patrol” that Saturday afternoon with the two other men. His brother, Daniel, lives in and runs the wildcat outpost, the Samaria District Council said at the time.