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Resources updated between Monday, February 5, 2018 and Sunday, February 11, 2018

February 9, 2018

The knife found by Border Police hidden under the clothes of a 23-year-old Palestinian who was detained outside Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs

Border Police arrested a Palestinian man in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, after finding a knife hidden under his clothes at the entrance to the Tomb of the Patriarchs holy site.

The 23-year-old raised the suspicions of officers at one of the checkpoints outside the holy site and security forces accordingly searched the suspect using a metal detecter, Border Police said.

After the knife was found in the man's clothing, he was immediately detained for questioning.

"An initial investigation revealed that the suspect was apparently intending to carry out a stabbing attack," Border Police added.

The Tomb of the Patriarchs is a frequent target for stabbing attacks.

On January 22, Border Police officers made a similar arrest of a man in his 30s after finding a knife on him during a full body search.

Three days earlier, officers arrested a Palestinian woman in her 30s after finding two knives during a search of her bag at a checkpoint near the holy site.

A Palestinian teen was arrested trying to enter the holy site with a knife in December, and in November two 17-year-old Palestinians were also detained after each attempted to smuggle a knife into the site in two separate incidents a day apart.

Palestinian held after trying to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs holy site with knife Document

The armed Palestinian teenager caught attempting to enter the settlement of Hashmonaim

Security forces on Friday arrested an armed Palestinian teenager at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Hashmonaim, police said in a statement.

Border police officers were called to the settlement east of Modiin and ordered the suspect to stop. When he ignored police orders he was overpowered,  arrested, and searched. The officers found he was armed with a knife. There were no injuries.

The statement said the 15-year-old hailed from the nearby town of Bil'in and was detained for questioning.

Earlier on Friday, Border Police officers in Hebron arrested a Palestinian man trying to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs armed with a knife.

The 23-year-old raised the suspicions of officers at one of the checkpoints outside the holy site, and security forces uncovered the weapon under the man's clothing. He was immediately detained for questioning.

Also on Friday, a Palestinian protester was reportedly killed in clashes with security forces along the Gaza border.

According to Palestinian media, the teenager was shot in the head in Jabaliya in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, near the border with Israel.

The clashes broke out at the end of Friday prayers in mosques, as Palestinians heeded calls by the Hamas terror group and other organizations to wage yet another "day of rage" against Israel - the first in a month but the tenth since US President Donald Trump's December 6 announcement that his administration recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Hadashot television news reported that some 500 Palestinians took part in the rioting at six West Bank flashpoints, and that Israeli forces used live fire on demonstrators at the village of Beita, near Nablus.

Hamas, Fatah, and other Palestinian factions also called the day of rage to honor Ahmad Jarrar, the suspected ringleader of a terrorist cell responsible for murdering Rabbi Raziel Shevach in January. Jarrar was killed by security forces in a shootout on Tuesday.

Jarrar's ability to evade capture for more than two weeks had turned him into a Palestinian hero, and on the streets of Nablus, protesters could be heard shouting, "Allah, have mercy on Ahmad Jarrar."

Armed Palestinian teen caught trying to enter settlement Document

February 8, 2018

The knife used in an attempted stabbing attack in the West Bank

A stabbing attack on an IDF soldier was foiled by troops in the southern West Bank on Thursday evening, the army said.

The attempted attack took place at a junction on Route 60 near the Fawwar refugee camp near Hebron in the West Bank.

There were no injuries and the would-be attacker was apprehended by troops.

The incident took place as IDF troops have increased their presence in the northern West Bank near Nablus following a deadly stabbing attack which occurred outside the city of Ariel.

Following an evaluation of the situation by the Central Command of the recent attacks and large-scale riots, troops will be deployed to operate in various hot spots.

Hamas's branch in Nablus called to for a mass march in the city after prayers leaving from the el-Nasser Mosque.

"Your presence is support for the option of resistance and a victory for the blood of our martyrs and prisoners," read a flyer posted on social media.

Israeli soldiers on Tuesday killed Ahmad Nasser Jarrar, a central operative in a terror cell that claimed the life of Rabbi Raziel Shevach in early January.

On Tuesday night Khaled Tayeh died in clashes with IDF troops during a manhunt for Abed al-Karim Adel Assi who stabbed Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal to death on Monday at the Ariel Junction.

Attempted Stabbing Attack Foiled in West Bank Document

February 7, 2018

The scene of a stabbing attack at the entrance to the Israeli settlement of Karmei Tzur, south of Jerusalem

An Israeli security guard was lightly wounded early Wednesday morning when a Palestinian assailant attacked him with a knife at the entrance to a West Bank settlement, officials said.

The terrorist opened the door to the guard post at the entrance to Karmei Tzur, in Gush Etzion, and stabbed one of the guards in the palm of his hand.

A second guard shot the assailant and killed him, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

He was later identified by Palestinian officials as Hamzeh Yousef Zamaareh, 19, from the town of Halhul, near Hebron.

The wounded guard, a 34-year-old man, was treated at the scene by Magen David Adom medics and taken to Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem while fully conscious.

Dr. Ram Moshayov, head of the hospital's orthopedic trauma center, said the guard was undergoing testing in order to determine if he would retain full function of his hand.

"The terrorist stabbed him in the palm of the hand. Other than that, he's perfectly healthy," Moshayov said. "I'm optimistic about his hand. His nerves are functioning, but we're still in the process of checking it out."

Officials said the terrorist arrived at the scene with a car. Security forces were scanning the area.

On Monday a terrorist fatally stabbed 29-year-old Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal outside the settlement of Ariel.

Footage from Monday's attack scene showed the suspect, 19-year-old Abed al-Karim Assi, crossing a road toward Ben-Gal, who was standing in front of a bus stop, and stabbing him. Ben-Gal then fled across the street with the stabber in pursuit.

Medics tried to resuscitate Ben-Gal, who was stabbed three times in the chest. He was taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah, but succumbed to his wounds. He was laid to rest in a cemetery in the Har Bracha settlement, where he lived with his family. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Israeli forces are still hunting for the killer.

Israeli guard wounded in stabbing attack south of Jerusalem Document

February 5, 2018

The scene after a stabbing attack outside the West Bank settlement of Ariel

An Israeli man was stabbed to death in a terror attack at a bus station outside the West Bank settlement of Ariel on Monday afternoon.

The Palestinian assailant arrived at the bus station on foot. He stabbed the Israeli civilian and fled. An IDF officer who saw the attack pursued the terrorist and hit him with his car. The assailant was still able to flee the scene.

The victim, Itamar Ben Gal, is from the Har Bracha settlement and taught in the yeshiva there.

IDF soldiers are now searching the area.

"We will bring them [the terrorist] to justice," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the Likud faction meeting.

"When we arrived at the site, an IDF medic was giving primary care to a 30-year-old man who was unconscious with stab wounds on his upper body," said Magen David Adom emergency medic Mordechai Ya'akov Feder.

"We continued treatment, employing medication to stop the bleeding."

Ben Gal had suffered from multiple wounds to his upper body and was declared dead at Beilinson Hospital.

Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria regional council, said in a statement that the location of the attack was a well known hot spot, which he had repeatedly warned about in the past as it was a place that illegal Palestinian workers often disembarked from public transportation. 

"This is the second severe attack within a month, but the resident of Samaria are strong. We will not be beat by terror," he said.

On January 9, Rabbi Raziel Shevach, a father of six, was shot dead by Palestinians as he drove near his home in the Havat Gilad outpost.

Two of Shevach's brothers are graduates of the Har Bracha yeshiva.On January 9 Rabbi Raziel Shevach, a father of six, was shot dead by Palestinians as he drove near his home in the Havat Gilad outpost.

The Hamas terror group issued a statement saying that the attack in Ariel was proof that the so-called "knife Intifada" or "Jerusalem Intifada" was still ongoing.

A spree of dozens of stabbing and car ramming attacks by lone-wolf Palestinians that began in October 2016 received the nickname because the attacks were supposedly aimed against Israeli efforts to change the sovereignty of the Temple Mount in the holy city.

Israeli stabbed to death in West Bank Attack, Assailant on the loose Document

Anti-regime protestors demonstrate outside the Iranian embassy on January 2, 2018 in London, England

Iran has arrested nearly 5,000 people during recent protests, according to an Iranian member of Parliament.

Alireza Rahimi posted on messaging service Telegram last week that local authorities arrested thousands of demonstrators in January, reports Associated Press.

Rahimi said most of the detainees have been released but 492 remained in custody pending investigation.

But further information about the arrestees remain unclear.

Rahimi reportedly confirmed 4,972 arrests with the head of Tehran's prison service. But, according to Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), Rahimi said 73 percent of these people were men while Associated Press quoted Rahimi as saying that number was 95%.

A judiciary spokesman told ILNA it was not clear if all of those arrested in January had been involved with the ongoing protests.

Early protests expressed anger over rising egg prices

Iranian protesters chant slogans at a rally in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017. AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

Iran's recent protests began as a relatively small venture on December 28 in Mashhad, Iran's second largest city, but soon gained traction and have continued into 2018.

Initial protests expressed anger over the economy and the skyrocketing prices of basic necessities like eggs and poultry. The movement was popular with working class citizens under 25, who have suffered under international sanctions which have affected Iran's economic growth.

  Protests quickly moved to target Iran's political leaders and calls have been made for the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down.

At least 21 people have died during demonstrations, including an 11-year-old boy, but the number could be closer to 25.

According to The Guardian, at least three protesters died while in custody in a Tehran prison. And many of the jails holding protestors are notorious for torture.

New protests have seen women calling out the country's hijab laws

Recent protests have again shifted focus, this time objecting to Iran's mandatory hijab laws.

The hijab protests were started by Masih Alinejad, the founder of My Stealthy Freedom, an online movement that opposes the dress code.

The hashtag #WhiteWednesdays quickly spread across social media, with women posting pictures of themselves wearing white as a symbol of protest.

At least 29 women have been arrested in Tehran for removing their headscarves in public. Many women recorded their acts of defiance, waving their headscarves around in busy crowds.

The US has supported recent protests in Iran.

President Donald Trump has praised the protests and criticized the Iranian government. The  US State Department said it would use its Farsi Facebook and Twitter accounts to encourage anti-government protests. 

Iran accused the US of "grotesque" meddling in its country's socio-economic issues in response.

On Friday, the State Department released a statement in support of the hijab protests and condemned the arrests of the 29 women. 

"People should be free to choose the clothes they wear, and practice their faith as they desire. Depriving individuals of this choice undermines their autonomy and dignity," the State Department said.

Nearly 5,000 people were arrested during Iran's bloody month of protests Document

Vehicle burns after a Palestinian mob attacks Israeli

Palestinian police rescued an Israeli man on Friday who was almost lynched by a mob of some 200 Palestinians upon accidentally entering Abu Dis, a Palestinian village several miles east of Jerusalem.

The mob attacked the Israeli man's vehicle at the entrance to the village and threw stones at him. Palestinian police extricated the driver from his vehicle and barricaded themselves inside a nearby building. Meanwhile, the mob gathered around the building and torched the Israeli man's car.

Palestinian authorities reported the incident to the Israel Defense Forces. Around nightfall, IDF and Border Police entered Abu Dis and evacuated the Israeli.

A senior Palestinian police official told Israel Hayom that dozens of villagers gathered around the Israeli man, blocking his path and preventing him from fleeing. According to the official, by the time Palestinian officers arrived at the scene, the mob had grown to some two hundred in number.

"Palestinian police forces," the official said, "arrived a moment before the angry masses lynched him [the Israeli]. The Palestinian police protected him, in coordination with the Civil Administration, the Israeli military and Border Police, which entered the village and joined the Palestinian forces. The Israeli citizen was then handed over to them."

The IDF's Civil Administration is a joint civilian-military body whose duties include coordinating activities and operations with the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus.

A Magen David Adom emergency medical team administered first aid to the victim at the scene and transported him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

The man was lightly injured, having sustained some bruising.

Over the weekend, the Israeli man was debriefed by the Judea and Samaria District Police. He told them that he was on his way home to Tel Aviv when he got lost on the way and entered Abu Dis by mistake.

Lost Israeli narrowly avoids lynch by 200-strong angry Arab mob Document