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Resources updated Friday, June 16, 2017

June 16, 2017

Hadas Malka, the Israeli officer killed in the terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem on June 16, 2017

Authorities said Friday that a female Border Police officer died after succumbing to her wounds following a suspected coordinated attack carried out by three terrorists in multiple areas of the Old City in Jerusalem.

Hadas Malka, 23, was taken to the emergency care unit at nearby Hadassah University Medical Center following the attack. Hospital officials later pronounced her death after failing to save her life.

Police said that the suspects used an "automatic weapon and knives" during the assault.

Two individuals were also evacuated to Hadassah University Medical Center in moderate and light condition after sustaining wounds from the attack. The hospital said it was treating another patient for shock.

"We saw two wounded civilians near the Damascus Gate, a man of about 40 and a young man of about 22," an MDA spokesperson said in a statement.

"They were fully conscious and suffered from 'penetrating injuries'... We provided them with emergency medical treatment and evacuated them to the hospital with their condition being moderate and stable."

A police spokesperson said that the three terrorist were "shot and killed" following the attacks. Police added that at least one of the suspects used an automatic weapon and "opened fire" during the incident.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the event was a coordinated attack carried out by suspected Palestinian terrorists.

They were later named as 19-year-old Bara Ibrahim Muhammad Saleh; Adel Hassan Ahmad Anakush, 18; and Osama Ahmad Mustafa Atta, 19, according to statement released by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).

All three, according to the statement, had "a background in terrorist activities," or were arrested by Israeli authorities before Friday's attack.

According to The Jerusalem Post's sister publication Maariv, the first attack occurred near Damascus Gate at the entrance of the Old City when two assailants armed with knives attempted to stab members of a Border Police Unit, critically wounding the female officer.

Maariv added that one of the attackers also carried a homemade automatic weapon. The weapon jammed, however, before the assailant could cause more casualties.

The second attack reportedly occurred near Zedekiah's Cave, located in the Muslim quarter of the Old City. It remains unclear if anyone was wounded following the incident. The suspect was also shot and killed by authorities.

Police have blocked the area off and are currently investigating the situation.

Officer Killed in Jerusalem Terror Attack Document

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights speaking at the U.N. Human Rights Council (File photo)

"Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent a letter to human rights groups telling them that Washington was evaluating the U.N. Human Rights Council and that continued U.S. participation would depend on considerable reform of the body.

Tillerson did not elaborate on the kinds of reforms the United States wanted. But in a speech delivered last week before the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley provided the long-awaited details...

The council's three biggest problems are:

  • Bias against Israel...
  • Human rights abusers win seats to the council...
  • Failure to address serious human rights situations equally and objectively...
[Ambassador Nikki Haley] identified two main reforms that the United States is seeking:
  • Competitive council elections and an end to the practice of secret voting...
  • Eliminate Agenda Item 7 and the council's support for the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement...
These reforms are entirely reasonable. In fact, they are rather modest. Additional reforms could and should be sought both to arrest the increasing budgetary and time demands of the council's mushrooming agenda and to improve transparency and accountability..."

A Reform Agenda for the U.N. Human Rights Council Article

An UNRWA school holding a ceremony honoring and celebrating Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israelis

If We Can't Dismantle UNRWA, Here's How We Can Reform It Article