03-May-17: Glad to say today's attempted Arab-on-Israeli knife attack ends with no one dead

Shuafat: The attacker threw his knife to the
ground as demanded by the security
personnel [Social media]

Israel National News reported a short while ago that another attempted stabbing attack was foiled this afternoon (Wednesday) on Jerusalem's northern edge.

An Arab male stepped off a bus at the entrance to the Shuafat neighborhood around 1:00 o'clock and, as required by the signs and by well-known practice, approached the adjacent IDF security checkpoint; it's there so that people arriving on public transportation can show they hold valid Israeli ID or valid entry permits. This fellow drew a large and fearsome looking knife from where he had been concealing it on his person and charged at the officers manning the checkpoint. Attacks like this often end in one or more deaths but not today; the personnel manning the security post drew their weapons and ordered the would-be attacker to put the knife down. That's what he did and that's why he is now under arrest and alive. No one was injured.

The knifer is now helping the police with their enquiries.

Over at the Palestinian Arab media business, Ma'an News Agency, they say the knifer is 21 years old and a resident of Shuafat. Quoting a Fatah source, they give his name as Wissam al-Dibs. They entirely fail to mention the ongoing high-pressure incitement in Palestinian Arab circles over the past eighteen months encouraging knifing attacks on Israelis - civilians and military; adults and children.

We're sure they will correct this in their next knifing report. They might also mention one of the motivations - beyond the obvious urging of their political and religious leaders - as reported in the Los Angeles Times nine months ago:

“They want to escape the difficult situation that they are in. Whether it’s depression, lack of success in school, or a fight between their parents. They are looking to escape their reality,’’ said Kadoura Fares, who heads the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, a nonprofit group devoted to providing assistance to prisoners held in Israel and their families. Fares estimated that one-fifth of the knife confrontations involve distraught Palestinian youths.
“In our culture, suicide for no reason isn’t honorable,” he said. “If they try to confront a soldier, however, it’s looked on with more respect.’’ In the United States, such confrontations are known colloquially as “suicide by cop.’’ ["Politics isn't the only motive driving Palestinian knife attacks on Israeli soldiers", LA Times, August 7, 2016]

The headline is not accurate. Arab-on-Israeli knifings have been directed at individuals from every part of Israeli society. Click "knifing" or "Stabbing" to see how many we have covered in our past posts.