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Israel’s defense chiefs urges restraint amid attacks Palestinians stab Israelis in West Bank store, then are shot
(about 4 hours later)
JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister on Thursday said Israeli forces “cannot be trigger happy” in the face of relentless attacks by Palestinians, echoing similar remarks by the country’s military chief a day earlier. JERUSALEM — Two Palestinians armed with knives entered a supermarket near Jerusalem in the West Bank and stabbed two Israeli civilians, wounding them seriously on Thursday before they were shot and wounded by an Israeli bystander, the military said.
The comments by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot come as Israel has faced criticism by the Palestinians and others for what they say is an excessive use of force amid a five month-long wave of violence. The two Israeli victims and the two Palestinian attackers were then taken to an Israeli hospital for medical treatment, the army said.
Channel 10 TV reported that the Palestinian attackers, teenagers from the Ramallah area, walked around the supermarket for about 20 minutes scoping out victims before stabbing two shoppers, a teenager and a man in his 30s, in the back and neck.
The station spoke with an unidentified civilian who said he opened fire at the attackers. The civilian, who was carrying a gun, said he was inside a prayer area near the supermarket and soon after services began, he heard screaming, went outside and shot at the attackers.
Israeli news sites carried photographs from the supermarket showing blood splattered on the floor of an isle stocked with laundry detergent on display near a shopping cart.
The assault was the latest in months of near-daily Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and security personnel. Most of the attacks have been stabbings, shootings and assaults in which Palestinians rammed vehicles into Israelis. Since mid-September, 27 Israelis have been killed in the Palestinian attacks while 162 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 115 said by Israel to be attackers. The rest died in clashes with security forces.
Earlier Thursday, Israel’s defense minister said Israeli forces “cannot be trigger happy” in the face of relentless attacks by Palestinians, echoing similar remarks by the country’s military chief a day earlier.
The comments by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and the military chief, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, came as Israel has faced criticism by the Palestinians and others for what they say is an excessive use of force amid a five month-long wave of violence.
“We cannot be trigger happy,” Yaalon told a conference in northern Israel. “We need to act with restraint, without creating circumstances in which boiling blood causes us to become desensitized, to lose morals in a way that erodes our way and its justness.”“We cannot be trigger happy,” Yaalon told a conference in northern Israel. “We need to act with restraint, without creating circumstances in which boiling blood causes us to become desensitized, to lose morals in a way that erodes our way and its justness.”
On Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot told a meeting with high school students that when “there is a 13-year-old girl who is holding scissors or a knife and there is a barrier between her and the soldiers, I wouldn’t want a soldier to open fire and empty a magazine on a girl like that even if she commits a very serious act.” He urged soldiers to use only “necessary force” and said that the military’s rules of engagement allowed for a response in life-threatening situations. On Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot told a meeting with high school students that when “there is a 13-year-old girl who is holding scissors or a knife and there is a barrier between her and the soldiers, I wouldn’t want a soldier to open fire and empty a magazine on a girl like that, even if she commits a very serious act.”
The outburst of violence, which began in September, has shown no signs of abating. Near-daily attacks by Palestinians, mostly stabbings, have killed 27 Israelis. Some 162 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, among them 115 said by Israel to be attackers. Many have been teenagers. He urged soldiers to use only “necessary force” and said that the military’s rules of engagement allowed for a response in life-threatening situations.
Israel says the violence is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement. The Palestinians say it is the result of frustrations stemming from living under Israel’s nearly 50-year-old occupation. The outburst of Palestinian violence, which began in September over tensions at the most holy site in Jerusalem, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, shows no signs of abating. Israel says the violence is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement, compounded on social media sites that glorify and encourage attacks. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli rule and dwindling hopes for gaining independence.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.