One policeman was killed and another wounded in a stabbing attack just outside the Western Wall in East Jerusalem on Thursday.
The Arab assailant was shot dead.
The drama took place near Dung Gate, the southern entrance to the Western Wall compound.
The two traffic policemen, who were on regular patrol, were just about to ticket an illegally parked car when an Arab approached them and stabbed both of them with a large knife.
One policeman began struggling with him and the two were caught in a fierce battle on the floor. The assailant managed to stab the policeman deeply in the stomach before he was hurt himself.
Avi Shapiro, a tour guide who happened to pass by, rushed to help the policeman, who was unable to pull out his pistol.
Shapiro pulled out the policeman’s gun and fired at the assailant’s hip at close range.
The Arab fell down wounded, but managed to pull out the knife, in an attempt to use it again.
Border Police Sgt. Ronen Arava, who was summoned to the scene, fired his M-16 gun in the direction of the assailant and killed him instantly.
The dead officer was identified as 39-year-old Sgt. Danny Pinhas of the Jerusalem Police Department.
He leaves a wife and three children.
His funeral was scheduled for Friday and he was expected to be promoted posthumously to staff sergeant.
The wounded officer underwent surgery and his condition was described as stable.
The assailant was described as a 30-year-old resident of the neighboring Arab neighborhood of Silwan.
Silwan captured headlines earlier this year following the settlement of several Jewish families in the heart of the Arab neighborhood.
The stabbing attack ended several weeks of relative quiet in Jerusalem.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
