22-Oct-11: Stabbed this afternoon in Ramot

Because we don't listen to the news or have our computers switched on during the Sabbath, it was alarming to hear the sounds of police and ambulance sirens wailing through the air this afternoon, along with a helicopter swooping through the skies. We now know that 3 minutes drive from our home, a young man was stabbed at about 3 this afternoon by an Arab.

Reuters quotes Israel police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld saying they see it as "a terrorist attack" and that witnesses saw the suspect fleeing the scene. The young victim, name still unknown, is said to be in critical condition in the trauma unit at Shaarei Zedek hospital. The news reports here say he and a friend were sitting on the curb "when a young Arab man passed by them. According to the friend, the Arab man turned around, headed toward the two, stabbed the man in the back and the stomach, and fled".

UPDATE Saturday night 9:00pm: This report says the victim is a 17 year old boy and gives his name. If our guess is right, he's the son of a local storekeeper here in the neighborhood. We're praying for his full and speedy recovery.

UPDATE Sunday 1:45pm: The boy stabbed in our neighborhood yesterday afternoon by a Palestinian Arab is reported today to be in stable condition, we're pleased to say, following surgery for stab wounds to the abdomen and back.