An alert and quick-acting border policeman during the night shot and seriously wounded one Arab man and left another with light injuries. The vehicle was heading at the border policemen at a checkpoint near Maale Adumim after midnight when the Arab driver attempted to run officers down. The soldier analyzed the situation, understood the threat and opened fire.

The driver was critically wounded by the gunfire and died of his injuries a short time later. A second man was injured lightly as was one border policeman who was wounded by shrapnel. The officer was transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in the capital.

PA (Palestinian Authority) sources say they did not try running over border policeman but were heading for prayer services.

Officials are still probing the incident at the time of this report. The soldiers insist they acted in total compliance with operational open-fire orders but they have yet to be cleared for the shooting and it is possible they will face criminal charges for opening fire without authorization.

The Arab victims are quoted as telling PA (Palestinian Authority) officials they did not intend to run over the soldiers and they simply changed their mind and slowed down to turn around, deciding not to cross the checkpoint. They were transported by a Red Crescent ambulance to a Ramallah Hospital.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)