Two separate attacks were reported over the weekend in the West Bank and the old city of Jerusalem. The first incident occurred in the West Bank on Friday, when a Palestinian motorist rammed his vehicle into a group of IDF soldiers that were, according to the Israeli military: “securing routes near the Jewish settlement of Mevo Dotan,” west of the Palestinian town of Jenin. The military confirmed that two soldiers were killed as a result of the attack, while two others were wounded and were taken by helicopter to Beilinson Hospital in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva. The military further noted that the Palestinian assailant was detained and treated in an Israeli hospital for injuries. Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, identified the Palestinian assailant as ‘Alaa Rateb A-Latif Kabha’ from the Palestinian village of Barta who had previously been jailed for security related offences and had been released in April 2017.
The second incident that occurred over the weekend took place in the Old City of Jerusalem yesterday, when a Palestinian assailant stabbed and fatally wounded an Israeli security guard. The attack took place on Hagai Street at the walled Lions’ Gate, which is located near the Temple Mount. A police officer who was in the area on patrol, shot and killed the Palestinian attacker. “Police units responded to a terrorist attack that was carried out by one terrorist. He used a knife to stab a security guard here in the Old City of Jerusalem. Immediately police units responded at the scene and a police officer who was in the area on patrol in the Old City, shot and killed the terrorist,” Israeli Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
The wounded security guard was rushed to the Sha’are Tzedek medical center in Jerusalem, where he was operated on at the trauma center. The security guard, however, succumbed to his wounds several hours later. He was identified as Adiel Coleman, a 32 years old resident of the West Bank settlement of Kochav Hashahar, where he was laid to rest this morning.