Israel: Man Shot Dead in Jerusalem After Ramming Car into Civilians
A Palestinian man was shot dead on Monday by a passerby in Jerusalem after driving his car into a crowd on a street, reportedly injuring at least five people, including an elderly man who was said to be in a serious but stable condition as of Monday.
Facts
- A Palestinian man was shot dead on Monday by a passerby in Jerusalem after driving his car into a crowd on a street, reportedly injuring at least five people, including an elderly man who was said to be in a serious but stable condition as of Monday.1
- Amateur video footage showed an armed civilian shooting into the car's window and killing the driver, who was later identified as 39-year-old Hatem Nejima. The father of five did not have any previous security offenses but was known to have mental issues.2
- The scene of the ramming, outside the Mahane Yehuda outdoor market, was filled with people ahead of the start of Memorial Day on Monday evening. Police deemed the incident a "terror attack," stating that Nejima had "accelerated and deliberately hit a number of pedestrians" near the market.2
- PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who was attending a ceremony for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars, also called the ramming a terror attack, adding that it is a reminder that both "the land ... and the State of Israel are acquired through many trials and tribulations."3
- A spokesman for Hamas, which governs Gaza, stated that the incident was a response to Israel's war against Palestinians. Earlier on Monday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man during a raid on the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near the West Bank city of Jericho.4
- Israeli-Palestinian violence has surged this year, claiming the lives of more than 90 Palestinians and at least 19 Israelis and foreigners since January, as both sides claim sovereignty over the West Bank and East Jerusalem.1
Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2The Times of Israel, 3FOX News, and 4Reuters.
Narratives
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. This terror attack was a blatant example of the hatred that extremist Palestinians have for Israel and its people. This hatred is neither hidden nor fringe, as both the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine and the ruling faction of the Palestinian Authority, known as Fatah, have openly condoned and celebrated the attempted murder of civilians.
- Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Palestine Chronicle. Tensions and violence between Israelis and Palestinians are unfortunate, but this saga began when Israel decided to treat Palestine as a colony and its people as its subjects. Besides frequent deadly raids on Palestinian civilians, the Israeli government is also looking to activate its assassination policy, which would give it unfettered power to kill even more Palestinians, particularly political leaders. This is a war of aggression by Israel against Palestine, not the other way around.
