JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two Israeli women were stabbed by a Palestinian attacker near Hebron.
The women, ages 45 and 16, were stabbed Thursday afternoon at a gas station outside of the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba. The attacker, who arrived in a taxi, was shot and injured shortly after the stabbing. The gas station serves both Israelis and Palestinians, Ha’aretz reported.
The Palestinian reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar, or "God is great," before he began stabbing the women. He carried a knife and an ax, Ynet reported.
"The attack is the direct result of the construction freeze and the weak and coward policy the government directs at the enemy." Noam Arnon, spokesman of the Jewish community in Hebron, said. He was referring to the 10-month freeze on new construction in the West Bank, not including eastern Jerusalem, announced Wednesday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The women, and their attacker, were taken to Hadassah – Ein Kerem Hospital for treatment.
