An American citizen was stabbed and injured in Jerusalem by a Palestinian assailant on Friday afternoon, while a second individual was wounded by stray gunfire from security forces who were trying to subdue the attacker, Haaretz reported on Friday.
The 23-year-old attacker, an East Jerusalem resident, stabbed the man, 22, in his upper body near the Light Rail station at Ammunition Hill. He then tried to stab another bystander but was shot down by light rail security guards, a border policeman, and a civilian at the scene.
An errant bullet also wounded a 20-year-old Israeli, who was evacuated in moderate condition to a Jerusalem hospital with a bullet wound below the waist.
The stabbing victim told paramedics that he had seen the attacker approaching and had unsuccessfully tried to escape.
Video from the scene of the stabbing attack in Jerusalem. (credit: MDA) pic.twitter.com/YywYqhpix8
— Judah Ari Gross (@JudahAriGross) October 30, 2015
Earlier on Friday, two Palestinians attempted to stab a group of Border Police officers near the Tapuah Junction in the West Bank. Both assailants were shot; one was killed, the other was critically wounded.
On Thursday, an IDF soldier was lightly wounded by a Palestinian assailant during a stabbing attack in Hebron. That evening, a 40-year-old woman was stabbed in the southern city of Eilat by an Arab teenager while a 60-year-old woman, who was traveling with her infant grandson towards Rishon LeZion, was injured after her vehicle was stoned.
On Wednesday, another 40-year-old woman was stabbed and moderately wounded in the West Bank, only half an hour after a Palestinian unsuccessfully attempted to stab soldiers in Hebron.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of October 29, the IDF reported that there have been 51 stabbings, 4 shootings, and 5 car ramming attacks in Israel this month. The Magen David Adom emergency medical service reported that, as of October 25, 11 people have been killed while 26 were injured, 13 seriously.
A variety of Israeli security experts and Palestinian activists have attributed this latest wave of terror to Palestinian incitement, particularly over the Temple Mount complex, which houses the al-Aqsa mosque. Palestinian leaders claim that Israel is trying to change the status quo at the site, though all non-Muslim religious activity remains forbidden and non-Muslim visiting hours remain restricted. Israeli officials have repeatedly denied the charges and affirmed that they remain committed to upholding the status quo.
The charge that Jews are trying to encroach on the al-Aqsa mosque predates the founding of Israel. In his testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs earlier this month, David Makovsky, distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, explained:
Sadly, the charge that Israel is out to destroy the mosque is not new. This claim was made in 1929, resulting in riots in Hebron that killed 63 people. More recently, fatal violence surrounding the Temple Mount occurred in 1991 (20 killed), 1996 (87 killed), 2000 (153 killed within the first month of violence), and 2014 (9 killed).
The committee later unanimously voted to condemn Palestinian incitement.
Friday’s attack was the first in Jerusalem since October 17, when a Palestinian assailant attempted to stab Border Police officers before being shot and killed.
[Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash90 ]