West Bank violence flares after funeral for Palestinian baby killed in attack
Israeli car hit by gunfire near settlement, no one hurt; policeman lightly hurt in protest near Temple Mount
An Israeli policeman was lightly wounded Friday in one of several riots and attacks by Palestinians following the funeral of a baby who was killed when suspected Jewish terrorists firebombed his home overnight.
The officer was wounded in East Jerusalem when he was hit by a stone hurled at him by a Palestinian during a riot near the Temple Mount on Friday, Army Radio reported. Security forces arrested a suspect in connection with the incident.
Separately, unidentified individuals opened fire on an Israeli vehicle near the West Bank settlement of Kochav Hashachar. The car was hit by bullets, but the people inside were unhurt.
In a third incident, rioters in the Jerusalem-area Palestinian village of Isawiyah threw firebombs and stones at police officers, resulting in no injuries.
The attacks occurred hours after the burial of Ali Saad Dawabsha, the 18-month-old baby killed in a fire started by suspected Jewish terrorists at his home in the Nablus-area village of Duma. The arsonists scrawled Hebrew graffiti about revenge and a Star of David on the walls of the home.
In the wake of the attack, Israel has stepped up security along main roads in the West Bank to prevent any attempts to target Israeli vehicles. The defense establishment also braced for riots and disturbances in East Jerusalem and in the territories at the end of Friday prayers on the Temple Mount.
Police restricted the entry of Muslim worshipers to Friday prayers at the Temple Mount to men over the age of 50 and women. Jerusalem police also bolstered its numbers ahead of the prayers, deploying officers throughout the Old City.
The toddler’s parents and four-year-old brother are being treated for serious burns in two Israeli hospitals, and were visited Friday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin. The incident occurred amid a string of violent attacks by Jewish extremists, including a near-fatal stabbing at the Jerusalem gay pride parade Thursday and the torching last month of a church in the Galilee.
In a statement to Palestinian media, Hamas said that “now every Israeli is a legitimate target” following the arson. The terrorist group also called for “a day of rage” to protest the killing and to “defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque” in Jerusalem.
