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Resources updated Friday, February 9, 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