Arrest of a Palestinian Attacker After Wounding Two Israeli Citizens

The Israeli army announced that a Palestinian who 'attacked' two Israeli settlers and a soldier with a car and then with a knife was shot and arrested. According to the Israeli army report, this incident occurred early Friday morning, November 17, on a road leading from a settlement towards Jerusalem. The Israeli army claims that the Palestinian driver 'deliberately' ran over two residents of nearby settlements and then exited the vehicle to 'attack an officer' with a knife. Israeli hospital sources reported that one of the two injured Israelis had 'serious' injuries and underwent surgery after being transferred to a hospital in Jerusalem. However, the second injured person had very light injuries, and the officer who was apparently the target of the knife attack was not injured and shot and arrested the Palestinian attacker. Israeli media reported that the attacker was a 17-year-old named Izz al-Din Ali Qarja, a resident of the Khelkhol settlement in the Hebron area. Some initial reports claimed that the attacker was killed by gunfire, but later media reported that he is in custody, although severely injured. The injured man is a 70-year-old Israeli named David Ramati, who told the Ynet website that he was armed but 'could not use his weapon in the encounter with the Palestinian driver because the vehicle was moving too fast.' Gush Etzion, near Jerusalem, is one of the largest settlements that has witnessed such attacks in the past two and a half years. However, the incident on Friday occurred after several months of calm. The last instances of armed and knife attacks occurred during the summer over security measures at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Israeli army destroyed the home of one of the attackers from the summer incidents a day before Friday's attack. Attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, including with vehicles and knives, began 25 months ago, during which 40 Israelis were killed in these attacks, and Israel also killed over 250 Palestinians during this period. Israel emphasizes that most of the Palestinian casualties since the beginning of such attacks were those who carried out the attacks; with few exceptions, most attackers have been young Palestinians and even children. Palestinians refer to these attacks as 'Knife Intifada' and justify them with reasons such as 'lack of hope for life.' Political talks for peace between Israel and the Palestinians have been stagnant for years. While Benjamin Netanyahu's government expands settlements in the occupied territories and occasionally announces new plans for the construction of thousands of homes, Palestinians say the prospect of peace has become more distant. The Jerusalem Post reported on November 17, citing Israeli cabinet minister Zeev Elkin, that the government is considering major changes to the situation in Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem and its suburbs with the aim of 'strengthening Israeli sovereignty,' and this plan 'is progressing.' The Jerusalem Post also reported that the Israeli prosecution approved the confiscation of more land from Palestinian private properties for public use by settlements this week. Meanwhile, the New York Times recently reported that the Trump administration, after 10 months of reviewing and understanding the complexities of this long-standing conflict, is preparing a plan to present to the leaders of both sides. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, has expressed readiness to reach a 'historic deal' with Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu states that peace is not progressing because Palestinians 'do not fundamentally accept the existence of Israel.' In this context, a Palestinian killed three Israeli security officers.