Palestinian stabs 2 Israeli soldiers in West Bank

The attacker’s condition was not immediately known. Israel’s rescue service said the soldiers were lightly wounded.

July 18, 2016 05:03 pm | Updated 05:03 pm IST - Jerusalem

A Palestinian stabbed two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank on Monday before being shot, the military said.

The attacker’s condition was not immediately known. Israel’s rescue service said the soldiers were lightly wounded.

The violence is the latest in a 10-month wave of attacks that has seen Palestinians use knives, cars and guns against Israeli civilians and soldiers. Some 34 Israelis and two visiting Americans have been killed since mid-September. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed, the majority said by Israel to have been attackers. The rest were killed in clashes with Israeli troops.

Israel says the violence is fuelled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement. The Palestinians say it is the result of frustrations stemming from nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation and a lack of hope for an independent state.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli military said it had demolished the West Bank home of Bilal Abu Zeid, a Palestinian who it says served as an accomplice to a deadly attack earlier this year.

Abu Zeid is said to have been involved in an attack in Jerusalem in February that killed an Israeli paramilitary police officer. The military did not disclose what role Abu Zeid allegedly played in the attack.

The military said clashes erupted as it was carrying out the demolition and that Palestinians opened fire and lobbed explosives at troops. The military responded with live fire, and the Palestinian Health Ministry said five people were wounded, one seriously.

Israel sees house demolitions as an effective deterrent against violence. Critics say it amounts to collective punishment.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.