Palestinian injured as post-stabbing clashes erupt near Bethlehem

Date: 23 / 10 / 2008  Time:  11:43
near Bethlehem [Ma'anImages]
Bethlehem - Ma'an -

Israeli occupation forces invaded the West Bank town of Tiqu'a on Thursday afternoon and threatened to demolish the house of a young Palestinian man who fatally stabbed an Israeli man earlier in the illegal Israeli Gilo settlement.

Israeli occupation troops called through loudspeakers urging the family to leave the house "before it is destroyed."

Meanwhile, stone-throwing Palestinians clashed with Israeli occupation troops who entered the village in 20 vehicles shortly after the stabbing was reported.

Palestinian security forces identified the man as 20-year-old Mohammad Salem Al-Badan, from Tiqu'a, which is south of Bethlehem. The stabbing took place in Gilo, which abuts Bethlehem to the north.

Israeli occupation troops later withdrew from the area around the house, after kidnapping Al-Badan’s sister, Maysa, and another young man from Tiqu'a, Muhammad Al-Sha’ir.

Israeli troops are still present in an area of the village called Al-Amour. Clashes between Palestinians and the invading Israeli occupation troops are ongoing. So far, one Palestinian youth has been reported injured.

Two Israelis stabbed

Contradictory reports of the stabbing have emerged. Israeli medics first reported that Al-Badan was shot dead, and later said he was only injured.

Israeli police said that they stopped a Palestinian man while on patrol in Gilo. The man reportedly drew a knife and stabbed a police officer, then continued and stabbed an 86-year-old man, who later died of his wounds.

An Israeli eyewitness told Israeli Channel Two: “I was riding my car in Gilo when I saw an Israeli policeman and a young Palestinian man arguing verbally. Then they fought physically. When I stopped my car and went out of it, the policeman suddenly fell on the ground. I didn’t see any knife or sharp tool at first but the policeman said that he was stabbed four times when he then shot the young Palestinian man but he didn’t fall and he kept running towards an area that contained about sixty stairs and I followed him.”

The witness continued: “I was surprised that the other policewoman didn’t get out of the car and follow him. I kept following the young Palestinian man when he suddenly faced a 60-year-old Israeli man and pushed him on the ground. At last I caught him and stifled him with my hands while I was so afraid he would kill me.”

Police and security forces have closed most of the entrances to Jerusalem.


***Updated 17:57 local time

A Palestinian resident of Bethlehem killed after stabbing an Israeli policeman

Thursday October 23, 2008 13:47 by IMEMC Staff - IMEMC & Agencies

A Palestinian resident of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, was reportedly killed after he allegedly killed an Israeli settler and wounded a policeman in the Israeli settlement of Gilo near the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.

The Palestinian was identified as, Mohammad al-Badan, 20 from the village of Tiqu’a near Bethlehem.  Palestinian security sources did not confirm Al-Badan’s death.  Meanwhile, a large Israeli military force rolled into the village and surrounded Al-Badan’s home forcing the family out saying that the house will be demolished.
 
Following clashes between the Israeli military and some stone-throwing youth in the village, troops pulled out taking prisoner Al-Badan’s sister Maisaa’ and his neighbor Mohammad al-Sha’er.
 
According to Maan News Agency, an Israeli eyewitness told the Israeli TV that as he was passing with his car, he saw al-Badan engaged in an argument with the policeman.  The eyewitness whose name was revealed added that he saw the policeman falling down, which made him stop.  The policeman told him that he was stabbed four times, the witness said, adding that he did not see any weapon.  The policeman shot al-Badan as he was running away. 

The eyewitness added that as he chased al-Badan to an alley, al-Badan accidently hit an elderly man causing him to fall on the ground.  He caught al-Badan until the police arrived and arrested him.

Jerusalem attack

Thursday October 23, 2008 21:23 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The attacker was identified as Mohammad Al-Badan, 20. He was shot and wounded by the police, and was moved to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and is currently in a serious condition.   

Israeli sources reported that an 86-year-old resident of Jerusalem identified as Abraham Ozeri died of his wounds after he was stabbed by Al-Badan. A 30-year-old policeman was wounded and hospitalized.

 Palestinian sources reported that Al-Badan stabbed the 80-year-old Israel man by accident as he was running away from the police after attacking the policeman.

Initial Israeli reports revealed that two Israeli policemen detained Al-Badan while examining his ID card. He then pulled a knife and stabbed one of the policemen and fled the scene. The wounded policeman shot Al-Badan and wounded his in the abdomen area.

Al-Badan tried to escape and while running he stabbed the eighty-year old Israeli man, the sources added. He could not run anymore due to his injury and was apprehended by the police before he was moved to an Israeli hospital in Jerusalem.

 Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that a civilian identified as Yoav Mizrahi and a municipal inspector identified as Yehoshua Ben Nun, chased the Palestinian stabber and managed to seize him some two hundred meters away from the stabbing site.