A mannequin holding a knife and wearing a jacket that reads “Stab!” is placed outside a clothes shop in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. In Gaza, a clothing store called ‘Hitler 2’ has mannequins posed outside holding knives and dressed in T-shirts with ‘Stab!’ written across the chests.
Reuters
Jerusalem
Israeli forces yesterday shot dead a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank after he ignored calls to halt and attempted to attack one of the soldiers at a crowded bus stop, the military said.
The incident took place near the West Bank settlement bloc of Gush Etzion south of Jerusalem, on the main road to Hebron, which has become the focal point of recent violent unrest that began more than a month ago.
More than 30 attacks have taken place against Israelis in the area since the start of October, the army said.
“(Soldiers) thwarted an attack at a crowded bus stop at Gush Etzion junction when a Palestinian armed with a knife attempted to stab them. Forces at the scene responded to the immediate threat and shot the assailant,” the army statement said.
A military spokeswoman later said the Palestinian had died.
Eleven Israelis have been killed in stabbings, shootings or other attacks. At least 69 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli forces, including 42 who Israel says were attackers. Many were teenagers.
A growing number of visits by religious Jews to the Al Aqsa plaza have stirred Palestinian allegations that Israel is violating a long-running agreement banning non-Muslim prayer there.
Israel has accused Palestinian officials of inciting violence by spreading the allegations, which it says are false.
Meanwhile, Israel has begun lifting some security measures, removing key roadblocks in annexed east Jerusalem.
A number of checkpoints and roadblocks were dismantled in recent days, a police spokeswoman said, calling the decision a “direct result of the stabilisation of the security situation, which allows for this more lenient policy”.
The decision would allow a return to “normal life,” her statement added.
Roadblocks were installed in a number of locations in east Jerusalem last month after a wave of Palestinian stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks against Israelis began on October 1.
The area of Jabel Mukaber, from where a number of the attackers came, was largely blocked off by checkpoints. Some of these have been removed, the statement said.
Any deterioration in the relative calm of recent days, however, will lead the police to “use all means at its disposal against the terrorists who break the law and order,” the statement warned.
It said thousands of police were ready to respond at short notice.
