A Palestinian stabbed two Israeli Jews in Hebron, lightly wounding them, before being shot and killed himself by border police.
The incident occurred Thursday outside the Tomb of the Patriarchs, where the two residents of nearby Kiryat Arba attend a religious seminary.
They were buying vegetables from a street vendor during a break, when the Palestinian, shouting “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” attacked them.
A border police officer and soldier, hearing the shout, fired twice, killing the attacker. He was described as a Hamas activist, who was jailed for seven months in Israel four years ago for security offenses.
The stabbing victims, ages 65 and 75, were taken to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem for treatment of stab wounds in the hand and chest areas.
Jewish settlers said the attack was an example of the increased violence that could be expected in Hebron after the scheduled redeployment from parts of the town in March.
Shimon Ben Zion, a member of the Kiryat Arba local council, said certain normalization measures that have already been taken as part of the interim Agreement with the Palestinians have led to worsened security.
“A month ago, the [Israel Defense Force] began removing roadlocks in the center of town, despite our requests not to,” he said. “Had today’s attack taken place 20 meters down the road, away from the checkpoint, the attacker would have been able to easily escape.”
Hebron, with a population of some 400 Jewish settlers and 100,000 Palestinians has been a flashpoint for violence.
In February 1994, Hebron settler Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Palestinians worshipers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
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