JERUSALEM (AP) – A Palestinian attacker opened fire on an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank on Saturday and was shot dead, Israeli police said. Elsewhere in the occupied territory, settlers stormed a Palestinian village, pelted stones, sprayed bullets and set fire to homes, the latest in a series of settler attacks this week.
The Palestinian gunman approached Israeli soldiers stationed at the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem in the early hours of the morning, pulled out an M16 rifle and opened fire, Israeli police said. Similar post
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The Israeli security forces retaliated and said that the suspected attacker was killed. Two security guards in their 20s were hospitalized with minor injuries, at least one from whiplash, according to the Israeli Rescue Authority. Initially, there was no information about the identity of the attacker.
Over the weekend, residents of the Palestinian village of Umm Safa said about 50 Israeli settlers armed with guns and flammable liquids would storm the streets and set fire to at least five houses with people inside. The Israeli army announced that it sent security forces to the scene and arrested an Israeli citizen. A Palestinian aid team said it had rescued small children trapped and suffocating in a burning house.
Some settlers opened fire on civilians and medical workers. Local broadcaster Palestinian Television said settlers shot and destroyed a camera on reporter Mohammad Radi, who was covering the attack. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that one member was wounded in the shooting.
A settler threw a large stone at the ambulance, which hit its windshield, injuring two other paramedics. Israeli settlers also shot horses in the village, according to resident Ibrahim Evett. “It’s pure horror,” he said. “People are scared and angry.”
Witnesses said young Palestinians threw stones at Israeli security forces, who opened fire and fired tear gas. The Israeli military said it was trying to “de-escalate tensions”. A soldier is said to have been injured in the stone pelting and condemned the violence.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “condemn this disgrace and deal with it properly.”
He said that settler violence crosses borders. Late on Saturday, Israeli security officials condemned the settler violence.
“They are nationalistic terrorism in every sense and we have a duty to fight them,” the Israeli military commander, police chief and Shin Bet intelligence chief said in a joint statement. He said the army would withdraw security forces to prevent further rioting, while the Shin Bet increased the number of arrests.
“We call on community leaders and educators to publicly condemn these acts of violence and join efforts to combat them,” he said. Defense Minister Yves Gallant issued another statement condemning the settlers’ violence. Sixteen Palestinians and four Israelis were killed in the West Bank, ending a bloody week.
Seven people were killed in an hour-long exchange of fire between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in the northern Jenin refugee camp.
