Palestinian arrested with knife at Qalandiya; 2 guards lightly hurt in scuffle
Security officers became suspicious when suspect came to vehicle crossing north of Jerusalem on foot; injured Israelis said not to have sustained wounds from knife
A Palestinian man was arrested carrying a knife at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem on Saturday morning after his behavior was said to have aroused the suspicion of guards.
Police said guards became suspicious that the man arrived on foot to an area of the crossing that was for vehicles.
Two security guards sustained minor injuries while detaining the man and were taken for treatment at the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital.
Channel 13 news reported that the wounds sustained by the guards were not from the knife.
The suspect was arrested and taken for questioning as well as medical treatment.
כוח מג"ב עצר פלסטיני שהתקרב עם סכין למעבר קלנדיה; שני מאבטחים נפצעו קל כשנאבקו להשתלט עליו@SuleimanMas1 pic.twitter.com/mbRKRCTigz
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 27, 2020
The incident came as the military is reportedly readying to deploy additional troops to the West Bank and Gaza Strip area ahead of Israel’s potential annexation of settlements and the Jordan Valley.
Channel 13 also said the IDF, the Shin Bet and Defense Minister Benny Gantz were all in the dark about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s precise plans, hampering the military’s ability to plan accordingly.
On Thursday, Channel 12 news reported Israeli security chiefs were sharply divided on the possible ramifications of annexation, with the leaders of the IDF and Mossad at odds on whether the move would be met with significant Palestinian violence.
While IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi warned during Wednesday’s security cabinet meeting that annexation could spark shooting attacks and even suicide bombings, Mossad head Yossi Cohen downplayed the military’s predictions of extensive violence, the report said.
Saturday’s incident came days after Border Police released security footage from a suspected car-ramming incident at Abu Dis, near Jerusalem, as officials rejected accusations that troops killed a Palestinian without reason.
In the video, a car driven by Ahmad Moustafa Erekat, 28, can be seen approaching the checkpoint before abruptly accelerating and turning toward a group of police. The car then rams into a soldier, who is knocked into the air, then it collides with a booth and comes to a stop.
As the driver gets out of the vehicle, he appears to begin running from the police officers, but quickly falls to the ground after being shot.
Erekat’s family accused Israeli authorities of letting Ahmad bleed to death, after footage emerged of him bleeding on the ground as a Border Police officer nearly steps over him but declines to offer medical help.
Responding to the allegations, a Border Police spokesman told The Times of Israel that forces provided medical attention to the assailant within minutes, but were forced to declare his death minutes later.
