JERUSALEM – Tensions in Israel continued to rise after Israeli police shot and killed a Palestinian attacker after he stabbed an orthodox man near the Damascus Gate on Saturday.
The incident comes one week after Hamas carried out a terrorist attack at the same location, but it is unknown at this time whether Hamas is responsible for Saturday’s incident or if the man acted as a lone assailant.
The incident sparked protests after a video of the incident circulated online indicating that the Palestinian man was already on the ground and was no longer posing an imminent threat when he was shot and killed by police. One video circulating Twitter appears to have been cut to show only the moment police shot the terrorist. The official full-length video was quickly released. Israeli Foreign Ministry tweeted the video depicting the initial stabbing and the events that followed, including the armed assailant lunging multiple times officers before being neutralized.
Watch the video released by the Israel Foreign Ministry below:
Earlier today, a Palestinian #terrorist stabbed a Jewish man in #Jerusalem solely on the basis of his Jewish identity, attempted to stab security forces and was then neutralized. We will not allow terrorism to run rampant in the streets of Jerusalem. We will protect our citizens. pic.twitter.com/5h7yn2V2Fx
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) December 4, 2021
Palestinian protestors gathered at the gate after the incident. The crowd was eventually dispersed with tear gas.
Esawi Frej, Minister of Regional Cooperation tweeted that the Palestinian terrorist shouldn’t have been shot when he was already on the ground when he longer posed a danger. He called for an investigation.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennet supported the actions of the police. On Sunday, he praised the officer tweeting:
“You deserve the appreciation of us all. You prevented murder and acted with operational resourcefulness within a few split sections – just as it is required of fights in such an operation situation.”
