A Border Police officer and two Israeli security guards were killed and another man seriously injured in a terror attack at the entrance to a settlement near Jerusalem.
The attack took place Tuesday morning as the security officers were opening the back entrance of the Har Adar settlement to Palestinian workers.
The injured man was identified by Israel police as the community security officer for Har Adar.
The assailant was identified by the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, as Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal, 37, father of four, who had a permit to work in Har Adar. It is the second time since October 2015 that a Palestinian with an Israeli-issued work permit has committed a terrorist act.
Jamal has significant personal and family problems, according to the Israel Security Agency. His wife fled to Jordan several weeks ago, reportedly due to domestic violence, leaving him with their children.
At the start of a regularly scheduled Cabinet meeting which convened hours after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the home of the terrorist would be demolished. He announced that the all work permits for members of his extended family have been revoked.
“This murderous attack is the result of – among other things – systematic incitement by the Palestinian Authority and other elements and I expect Abu Mazen to condemn it and not attempt to justify it,” Netanyahu said, using the nom de guerre of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
The prime minister also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and a wishes for the recovery of the injured security officer.
Jamal was from the neighbouring village of Beit Surik, which was placed under closure after the attack.
The Fatah movement led by Abbas did not immediately officially comment on the attack. The terrorist Hamas movement praised the attack calling it in a statement “a new chapter in the Jerusalem Intifadah, and is a confirmation from the uprising youth that the fighting will continue until the complete freedom of the people and the land.
“Once again Jerusalem proves that it is at the heart of the conflict with the occupation, and that there is no way to get it out of the equation of the conflict,” the statement also said.
