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Israel Defense Forces troops guarding the entrance to the W. Bank settlement of Kfar Etzion on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Last update - 23:34 26/01/2008
Palestinian stabs Border Policeman in north Jerusalem attack
By Avi Issacharoff, Amos Harel, Yuval Azoulay and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Tags: West Bank, Israel, Terror 

A knife-wielding Palestinian stabbed a Border Police officer on duty near the Atarot industrial area in northern Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported on Saturday. Policemen nearby opened fire at the Palestinian, who was seriously wounded.

The stabbed policeman, who suffered light to moderate wounds, and the Palestinian are currently receiving treatment at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem.

According to Israel Radio, a group of Border Police officers was sitting in a patrol jeep when it asked to check the person of a Palestinian passerby in order to determine if he was armed.
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The knifeman approached the jeep, proceeded to stab the policeman in the driver's seat, and attempted to stab a policewoman sitting in the rear passenger seat, Israel Radio said.

A struggle ensued between the policewoman and the assailant before the crew commander on the site opened fire, wounding the Palestinian.

The attack is the third to take place in the Jerusalem area within the last 48 hours.

Policeman killed, four Israelis wounded in 2 terror attacks near J'lem
On Thursday night, two armed Palestinians infiltrated a yeshiva in the nearby settlement of Kfar Etzion, wounding three civilians.

In a separate incident that occurred around the same time Thursday, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on the Border Police officers stationed at the Ras Hamis checkpoint near the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, killing a Border Police officer and wounding another.

The two armed Palestinians who infiltrated the Kfar Etzion yeshiva were recently released from an Israeli prison after serving time for criminal violations, Palestinian and Israeli security officials said Friday.

The two Palestinians, later identified as Mohammad and Mahmoud Samarna, relatives from a West Bank village near Hebron, were freed several days ago.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

Defense officials are still examining how the two managed to infiltrate the guarded Kfar Etzion yeshiva.

In the Kfar Etzion incident, the two assailants, armed with knives and a pistol, entered the library of the Mekor Haim yeshiva near Jerusalem and attacked students and counselors.

One of the counselors, Rafael Singer, grabbed the pistol from the terrorist and shot the intruders, killing them both.

During the battle with the Palestinian assailants, one student was moderately wounded and two of the counselors were lightly wounded.

Security officials said the Palestinians may have been attempting to hold yeshiva students hostage.

Settlement residents said it was fortunate that the Palestinians had targeted the library rather than the study hall, where hundreds of students were learning.

The Israel Defense Forces opened an investigation into the incident in an effort to determine how the terrorists penetrated the settlement's defenses and enter the yeshiva. Some witnesses said the terrorists were wearing soldiers' uniforms, while others said they were wearing the uniforms of a security company whose guards work at the settlement.

Border Policeman buried in Be'er Sheva
The Border Police officer killed in Thursday night's shooting attack at an East Jerusalem checkpoint, identified as 20-year-old Rami Zuari from Be'er Sheva, was buried in the military cemetery in his hometown at 12:30 P.M. Friday.

Border Police officer Shoshana Samendayev sustained moderate to serious injuries in the same attack. She was hurt in her chest, arm and neck in the same attack, Dr. Yuval Weiss, the director of Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem, told Israel Radio on Friday.

The Palestinian news agency Maan reported that a previously unknown organization, the Return and Struggle Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack. The organization said it was affiliated with Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

The checkpoint at which the shooting took place served as a pedestrian crossing point between the refugee camp and the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood of Jerusalem. At the time of the shooting, the checkpoint was manned by two Border Police officers.

"This is a serious incident and we will do everything in order to capture the killers," Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen said. "The passages are a serious Achilles' heel." Cohen said there was no connection between the Ras Hamis and Kfar Etzion attacks, both of which took place around 10 P.M.

"Israel continues to wage an unending battle against Palestinian terror which is fueled by extremists and rejectionism," said David Baker, an Israeli government spokesman.

Thursday's incidents occurred just a few days after the IDF Central Command proudly announced a sharp decline in fatalities from Palestinian terror in 2007. The IDF attributed this decline in large part to the army's almost nightly operations in West Bank cities, which have led to the arrest of numerous terrorists and forced others into hiding.

The last fatal terror attack was on December 28, when Palestinian gunmen shot and killed two off-duty soldiers who were hiking in the southern West Bank.

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      1.   And you want to give Palestinians control of Jerusalem? 23:20  |  Gili 24/01/08
      2.   Olmert, you collected our gas masks at least give us guns 23:23  |  Self Defense 24/01/08
      3.   hey olmert,why dont you send them some more weapons? 23:36  |  chaim 24/01/08
      4.   Palestinian culture, palestinian folk behaviour 23:37  |  Johnny 24/01/08
      5.   Violence is the wrong answer to Israels (political) wrongdoing... 23:38  |  Swiss (Dino) 24/01/08
      6.   Thank G-d no one was killed 23:41  |  Anon 24/01/08
      7.   Animals 23:44  |  SystemF 24/01/08
      8.   Peace negotiations "Fatah" style. Why not? 23:44  |  bat yam 24/01/08
      9.   This is why transfer of all Arabs to their desert mothereland 23:45  |  Genuine Tosefta 24/01/08
      10.   Peace negotiations "Fatah" style. Why not? 23:47  |  bat yam 24/01/08
      11.   Moe the Shmoe 23:53  |  Mea too 24/01/08
      12.   Proof- the wall is anti-genocide, not apartheid 23:54  |  Joe Sittizen 24/01/08
      13.   and the "special"US represenative won`t respect checkpoints!! 23:54  |  r 24/01/08
      14.   UNHCR will dismiss this as a local brawl 23:56  |  Genuine Tosefta 24/01/08
      15.   1moe, palestine & racists. 23:56  |  curious 24/01/08
      16.   no pals in jerusalem 00:00  |  frenz 25/01/08
      17.   This is why transfer of all Arabs to their desert mothereland 00:02  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/01/08
      18.   "Is no more Al-Aksa Brigade" said a pal minister after previous a 00:02  |  Absolute Sweden 25/01/08
      19.   This is why transfer of all Arabs to their desert mothereland 00:04  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/01/08
      20.   This is why transfer of all Arabs to their desert mothereland 00:04  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/01/08
      21.   37 Palestinians were killed since last Tuesday! zionist should 00:04  |  lakshmi 25/01/08
      22.   WHAT ABOUT GAZA!!!!!!!! 00:05  |  sami 25/01/08
      23.   #1, MOE-Shmo 00:06  |  DR 25/01/08
      24.   It only gets worse from here... 00:07  |  Moshe 25/01/08
      25.   It is my belief 00:08  |  Leah Vanatta Fisher 25/01/08
      26.   Very sad. 00:12  |  sandra chitayat 25/01/08
      27.   MOE - WE DON`T OCCUPY..YOU DO..GET OUT 00:15  |  viking 25/01/08
      28.   Religion of Peace 00:17  |  JL 25/01/08
      29.   Terrorism? Nope. This is nothing more than a criminal act. 00:17  |  POP 25/01/08
      30.   10. remaind me again 00:19  |  geli 25/01/08
      31.   Israel and Europe in the same boat??? 00:20  |  Avi 25/01/08
      32.   Notice Haaretz`s reporting of "militants." - 00:23  |  common sense 25/01/08
      33.   Well done to the counsellor! Condelences to family of victim & 00:24  |  Free Gilad Shalit 25/01/08
      34.   This same Fatah wants Jerusalem in exchange for "peace" 00:26  |  Free Gilad Shalit 25/01/08
      35.   Al-Aqsa was disbanded 00:28  |  skeptic 25/01/08
      36.   one israeli killed 00:29  |  shockcorridor 25/01/08
      37.   T #1(so what) 00:32  |  Shmuelshachor 25/01/08
      38.   Amnesty 00:35  |  Zvi 25/01/08
      39.   FATAH thugs talk peace out of one side of their mouths. 00:40  |  PETER SM 25/01/08
      40.   Olmert Has Justified Arabs Terror by Forcing a Settlement Freeze 00:43  |  Joseph E . 25/01/08
      41.   Where is the outrage you see from so many on this blog? 00:43  |  JJ 25/01/08
      42.   Moe #1 00:44  |  BRL 25/01/08
      43.   Arabs hurt Jews = terror. Jews hurt Arabs = defense 00:48  |  POP 25/01/08
      44.   no israeli settlements = no problems 00:55  |  pop 25/01/08
      45.   NOT TERROR 00:57  |  Ismail 25/01/08
      46.   Yeshiva Students kick butt! 01:08  |  Al Ass Martyrs Briga 25/01/08
      47.   Arabs terror is increasing and happening faster 01:12  |  Joseph E . 25/01/08
      48.   MOE same to you.How many Israelis have you TRIED to kill since 01:12  |  PETER SM 25/01/08
      49.   Moe 01:19  |  Jeff 25/01/08
      50.   What`s israeli police doing in occupied East Jerusalem? 01:19  |  Jens 25/01/08
      51.   Shut down Shuafat "refugee camp", give back to its Jewish owner 01:24  |  Dr. L. Brnd 25/01/08
      52.   stupid ediots 01:28  |  Arab 25/01/08
      53.   Yeshive Boys and Girls Should Be Armed 01:29  |  Dave Levy 25/01/08
      54.   To Tveria: Seal the Entire Strip From Within 01:40  |  Dave Levy 25/01/08
      55.   Dr. L. Brnd - you are pathetic 01:45  |  Philip 25/01/08
      56.   POP - thats right ....especially since arabs start attacks 01:48  |  SHIMON 25/01/08
      57.   Supreme Court - Anti-Jewish, Anti-Israel 02:01  |  Jon 25/01/08
      58.   Olmert. Please listen to absolutely no one! You know best. 02:03  |  Neville Chamberlain 25/01/08
      59.   lies 02:15  |  mark 25/01/08
      60.   To #30 02:19  |  Shmuelshachor 25/01/08
      61.   "Terrorists" "Terrorists" "Terrorists":The debasement of language 02:36  |  peacelover 25/01/08
      62.   ISMAIL in Jerusalem holding Israeli ID card 02:49  |  with both hands 25/01/08
      63.   THIS IS A RESPONSE TO BUILDING STOPPAGE.WIPE OUT TERROR))) 03:00  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 25/01/08
      64.   Condolences and don`t give up! 03:03  |  Nechama 25/01/08
      65.   #44 Philip, Shuafat was never part of any "Arab state" plan 03:08  |  Dr. L. Brnd 25/01/08
      66.   JENS .POLICE watching terrorists who speak peace only in English 03:19  |  PETER SM 25/01/08
      67.   Israeli Policeman or Pal Policeman 03:21  |  John 25/01/08
      68.   POP No settlements =next we want ALL Israel=Hamas Charter 03:22  |  PETER SM 25/01/08