30-Oct-19: A woman, a knife, a holy place

Today's would-be knifer brandished this
weapon [Image Source]

Female Palestinian Arabs equipped with concealed knives, possessed of extremely malicious intentions and making their way into or near the venerated Tomb of the Patriarchs in the holy city of Hebron are barely news any more.

Another was intercepted there this morning (Wednesday):

Suspect said to be in critical condition after attempted stabbing attack at Tomb of the Patriarchs holy site | A Palestinian woman tried to stab Israeli security forces Wednesday morning at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, and was shot and critically wounded by officers at the scene, according to security forces. The woman, who wasn’t immediately identified, brandished a knife at the flashpoint West Bank holy site and attempted to attack one of the police officers deployed there, the Border Police said in a statement. Officers subsequently opened fire, and medical officials said she was in critical conditions, the statement said. The tense city of Hebron, where Palestinians live in close proximity to settlers who are guarded by Israeli troops, has been the scene of numerous stabbings and attempted stabbings in recent years. Last month, a 15-year-old Palestinian teenager was arrested after a knife was found in his bag among school textbooks during a security screening. ["Palestinian woman tries to stab Israeli troops in Hebron, is shot – police", Times of Israel, October 30, 2019]

There's a video clip here posted to Twitter by the news service of Israel's KAN public broadcaster.

Associated Press gives a characteristically laconic version of the background to this morning's thwarted murder/s, saying that

Palestinians have killed over 60 Israelis in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks since 2015. Israeli forces have killed over 260 Palestinians in that same period. Israel has described most of the Palestinians killed as attackers, but occasional clashes between protesters and soldiers have also turned deadly.

"Israel has described most of the Palestinians killed as attackers" says the newsagency. But presumably rational people like those the AP editors are writing for understand that it's all subjective and just ignore the knives, the incitement, the Palestinian street's celebrations accompanying Arab-on-Israeli stabbings.

Worth noting that during the 19 massively destructive years of Jordanian military occupation, no Jews were permitted into the Tomb, considered in Jewish tradition to be the second-holiest site in the world after Jerusalem's Temple Mount.