5-Sep-06: A Knifing and its Economic Context

When reading reports of economic hardship among Palestinian Arabs (like this major piece entitled "Palestinians Begin to Direct Blame Inward" in yesterday's LA Times), keep in mind the events reported here - and please read through to the end.

Shimon Ran, 63, a factory worker from Jerusalem was stabbed and seriously wounded early this morning in the Atarot Industrial Zone in Jerusalem's northern suburbs, about 10 minutes drive from where we live. The attacker is an Arab, and the police say terror was the motive. (Jerusalem Post report here.)

Despite an intensive search, he has not been apprehended.

Ran sustained moderate injures and is hospitalized in the Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem in Jerusalem. Thankfully, there's a report that his condition stabilized after initial treatment.

The stabbing took place outside a cosmetics factory (pictured right) where Ran had parked his car. The terrorist attacked from behind, stabbing Ran in the back with a 20-cm knife. Numerous attacks by Palestinian Arabs on Jewish workers have taken place in the area in the past year. Hundreds of Palestinian Arabs are employed by Jewish-owned businesses in the Artarot area.

Two weeks ago, in an attempt to "improve the lot of Palestinians in the West Bank", the Israeli military said it was easing restrictions imposed in recent months as Israel battled Palestinian militants in Gaza and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. The Boston Globe says: "Before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict re-erupted six years ago, around 80,000 Palestinians worked in Israel." One source points out that Atarot used to be a booming industrial zone until the late 1980's when repeated Arab terror attacks drove out some of the major businesses, including the Mashbir department store's regional warehouse, the Pereg airconditioning and heating plant and a major lumber yard.

The IDF's statement, reported on 20th August, said 26,500 Palestinian workers and traders would be allowed to enter Israel and another 1,500 West Bank residents would be allowed to work in the Atarot industrial park on Jerusalem's north side. Long before Israel won its independence in 1948, Atarot was a center of Zionist settlement and enterprise -- and a constant target of nearby Arab villagers.

Stabbings and killings by Palestinians allowed into Israel as part of humanitarian programs are rarely reported in the mainstream media.

8th Sept UPDATE: The stabber is in custody.