Two Palestinians killed following stabbing of Israeli soldier
Israeli forces have shot and killed two Palestinians, including one who stabbed a soldier, in the latest in a string of clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Police said a 23-year-old Palestinian man stabbed a soldier in the head, wounding him lightly, and then attempted to stab another security officer before forces shot and killed him.
The Palestinian approached soldiers at a checkpoint as clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops erupted nearby, police added.
Later, forces shot and killed another Palestinian who the military said attempted to stab an Israeli soldier.
However, a Palestinian witness at the scene challenged the Israeli account, saying he had not seen a knife.
Palestinians have repeatedly accused the army of using unnecessary or excessive force, a charge that Israel denies.
Hebron, where several hundred nationalist Israeli settlers live in fortified enclaves amid tens of thousands of Palestinians, has become a focus of clashes in recent days following six weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Justice Ministry said an Arab woman who was shot after brandishing a knife at a busy bus station did not intend to carry out an attack.
Asraa Abed, 29, was surrounded by Israeli forces and then shot after she drew a knife at a bus station in northern Israel earlier this month.
The Justice Ministry said an investigation determined the woman was mentally unstable and suicidal and had pulled out the knife in order to be shot and killed.
Ms Abed, who survived the shooting, was indicted on Thursday for carrying a knife.
The incident was caught on video, which showed her slowly waving the knife before she is surrounded and shot.
The current wave of violence began in mid-September in Jerusalem amid tensions over a sensitive holy site and quickly spread deeper into Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Eleven Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, while 58 Palestinians have been killed – 38 of them said by Israel to be attackers, and the remainder killed in clashes with Israeli troops.
Israel says the outburst of violence is the result of Palestinian incitement. But Palestinians say it is the result of frustration stemming from nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
