Palestinian teen killed by IDF in clashes near Tulkarem
Israeli security forces face off with protesters across West Bank and East Jerusalem following string of deadly Palestinian terror attacks
An 18-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces in clashes near the West Bank city of Tulkarem Sunday, as unrest rocked the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem following a series of Palestinian terror attacks and Israeli operations to crack down on the violence.
The man was identified by Palestinian sources as Huzeifa Othman Suleiman, a resident of a nearby town who was injured in a skirmish with IDF troops near Tulkarem and died after being taken to a local hospital.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement that during “a violent riot of hundreds of Palestinians affiliated with Hamas,” protesters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers stationed at the Tulkarem crossing. The soldiers responded with riot dispersal methods, and when the rioters did not desist, the force fired at three rioters throwing fire bombs. The IDF said hits were confirmed and that it was aware of reports of a Palestinian killed in the fighting.
The clashes near Tulkarem were just one point in a constellation of altercations between Palestinians and Israeli forces across the West Bank and Jerusalem following two stabbing attacks on Israelis on Saturday and early Sunday; two Israelis were killed and three injured, including a baby. The rising violence has stoked fears that Israel may be facing a third major Palestinian uprising, prompted in part by tensions over the status of the disputed Temple Mount holy site.
In separate incidents Sunday, three Palestinians were arrested during protests in East Jerusalem neighborhoods. In the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, next to Mount Scopus, a young Palestinian protester who was poised to throw a Molotov cocktail at Border Police forces was shot in the foot by officers before he was able to hurl the firebomb. The suspect managed to escape with the help of other protesters nearby; security forces were attempting to locate him.
Another Palestinian man was arrested in the A-Tur neighborhood on suspicion he threw rocks at Israeli security forces. The suspect was lightly injured when border police officers reportedly used crowd control measures to disperse protesters. He received medical treatment before being taken into custody.
In Shuafat, police detained two Palestinian men suspected of attempting to block traffic outside the neighborhood mosque. Both men were taken in to the local police station for questioning.
In the West Bank town of al-Bireh, next to Ramallah, Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli soldiers, injuring at least one, Israel Radio reported. According to Palestinian media reports, five protesters were injured in the clashes, while the IDF reported it was aware of only protester injured.
Earlier on Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that the ongoing clashes with Israeli security forces and Jewish settlers left 77 Palestinians wounded from both live rounds and rubber bullets in the past 24 hours. The toll included 18 Palestinians wounded from live rounds and 59 from rubber bullets, Red Crescent spokeswoman Errab Foqaha said. Another 139 have been treated for tear gas inhalation and six for injuries sustained in beatings by soldiers or settlers, she said. Israel did not confirm the figures
Israeli police and troops have beefed up their presence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, amid fears of continued Palestinian violence.
Israel has carried out a number of raids in the West Bank since Thursday’s Palestinian terror attack in the West Bank in which an Israeli couple was killed in front of their children. IDF operations in Nablus and Jenin, launched in a bid to catch the couple’s killers, have sparked additional clashes with local Palestinians.
On Saturday night, Palestinian Muhannad Halabi went on a stabbing spree in Jerusalem’s Old City, killing Nehemia Lavi, 41, and Aharon Banita, 21, and wounding Banita’s wife and 2-year-old baby.
Hours later, Palestinian Fadi Aloon stabbed an Israeli teen, Moshe Malka, near the Old City’s Damascus gate. Both Halabi and Aloon were shot and killed by police at the scene.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday night said that Israel was “waging a fight to the death against Palestinian terror,” and announced new measures aimed at cracking down on the wave of terror.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for calm, saying he was “deeply concerned that these latest incidents signal a dangerous slide toward escalation.”
The Times of Israel Community.