Baby Among Several Wounded in Arab Rock Attacks
A three-year-old baby boy was among several Israelis injured Saturday evening in a string of rock attacks by Arabs. The baby was taken to hospital with “light” wounds when the car he was traveling in was targeted by rock-throwing Palestinians close to Shiloh Junction in southern Samaria’s Binyamin region.
Magen David Adom medics provided first aid treatment to the infant, who suffered from a head wound, before evacuating him to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem.
Arab extremists have stepped up a campaign of rock-attacks against Israeli motorists Saturday night.
Two people were lightly wounded Saturday evening when rock-throwing Arab rioters attacked a bus traveling along Route 65 near the Iron region (Wadi Ara) police station in northern Israel.
Later Saturday evening three people were lightly wounded when the bus they were traveling on crashed into a barrier on the side of the road on Route 5 in northern Samaria (Shomron), near Barkan. The driver reportedly lost control of the bus after Palestinian attackers pelted it with large rocks.
Magen David Adom paramedics provided first aid treatment and evacuated the wounded to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah.
In Jerusalem, dozens of Arab rioters hurled rocks and fireworks at police and security forces in A-Tur. Police used riot-control methods to disperse the attackers, and one Arab youth was arrested for disturbing the peace.
Also in the capital, at least three rock-throwing attacks against the Jerusalem light rail were reported Saturday night in Beit Hanina. No injuries were reported but damage was caused to the carriages. Two residents of the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat were arrested in connection with those attacks.
In Ral al-Amud, near Silwan, rioters also targeted security forces with rocks and firebombs. One of the rioters was chased into a nearby building and arrested by police along with another man who threatened arresting officers.
Meanwhile, nationalist politicians continue to rally round police who shot dead an Israeli-Arab in the northern village of Kafr Kana.
Jewish Home Chairman, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, issued a call Saturday night to support the policeman who shot dead the knife-wielding attacker in the Galilee, after the man repeatedly lunged at a police car with a knife in his hand. That incident sparked off riots by dozens of Arab residents, who accused police of killing the man “in cold blood.”
“A crazed Arab terrorist attacked our policemen’s vehicle with a knife, in an attempt to murder them,” said Bennett. “A policeman shot him. That is what is expected of our security forces.”
Bennett reacted to the Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department (Machash) statement that it would immediately launch an inquiry into the event. “Inquiring can and should always be carried out,” he said. “But [this was] not ‘murder in cold blood’ and the security forces men who are sent to protect us must not be abandoned. If we do not give them support, we will see more and more Israelis murdered with knives, fireworks and vehicles.”
MK Yoni Chetboun (Jewish Home) also voiced support for the policemen, and cited the Jewish precept – “When someone comes to kill you, kill him first.”
“Muslim fundamentalism is a problem that crosses borders and we must stop it fast and with force,” he opined. The members of the Arab sector who want to live under radical Islam “are invited to emigrate to Iran, Iraq or Syria,” he added. “We will not tolerate it.”
