Palestinian Authority police opened fire at an Israeli civilian vehicle after the driver sped through a P.A. checkpoint in the area of Mount Ebal, near Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria, on Monday afternoon.
No injuries were reported in the shooting, the Israel Defense Forces stated, clarifying an earlier statement that reported the incident as a suspected terrorist attack.
“Questioning at the scene indicates that it was most likely not a terror attack,” the IDF said. According to an initial probe, P.A. forces opened fire after the civilian “mistakenly entered the city of Nablus, bypassed a Palestinian checkpoint in Area A and sped out of the city near the post.
“The coordination and liaison mechanisms between Israel’s security establishment and the Palestinian security forces were activated immediately to clarify the circumstances of the incident,” the military said.
The army stressed that entering Area A of Judea and Samaria, which is under full P.A. control, remains “prohibited and dangerous” for Jews.
According to Hatzalah Judea and Samaria (Rescuers Without Borders), the civilian vehicle was damaged by gunfire. The driver was said to have been able to continue his journey to the entrance of a nearby town.
“This is a serious shooting attack,” Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan stated in an initial response to the shooting incident, adding, “Anyone who thinks terrorism and gunfire will deter us is mistaken.
“Our response will be to strengthen our settlement foothold in Samaria—particularly on Mount Ebal, which is an inseparable part of our history,” the regional leader vowed.
On Sunday, Israel Border Police officers fired at Palestinians who had stoned a bus traveling on the Route 1 highway near the Judean Desert city of Ma’ale Adumim.
Police officers “carried out a suspect-arrest procedure,” police stated. “One suspect was wounded by gunfire and a second was arrested.”
Also on Sunday, an Israeli police officer fired at a Palestinian driver who had accelerated toward him during a traffic stop on Route 60, between the communities of Shiloh and Ofra in Samaria’s south.
An initial investigation showed the driver was affiliated with the Hamas terror group and had reached for the passenger seat, leaving the police officer feeling threatened, the Kan News broadcaster reported.
In a separate operation in Judea overnight Saturday, police officers and IDF soldiers arrested four “young Palestinians” from Al-Arroub, near Bethlehem, on suspicion of throwing fire bombs at security forces in the region.
“The suspects were transferred for questioning and investigation at the [Gush] Etzion police station, and the investigation is ongoing,” police stated, adding, “We will continue to operate in cooperation with all security bodies to safeguard the public’s well-being, security and property, and against those who pose a real danger to the forces.”
