A Palestinian man repeatedly stabbed a young Orthodox Jew in Jerusalem before being gunned down by Israeli Border Police. The killing was condemned by Palestinian officials, while Israeli authorities have praised the officers.
The stabbing attack occurred near Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate on Saturday. Footage from the scene, released by Israeli law enforcement, shows the assailant, identified as 25-year-old Mohammed Shawkat Salima, crossing the road, with his would-be-victim, a 20-year-old Haredi man approaching him from behind.
The Palestinian man then abruptly turns around, stabbing the ultra-Orthodox Jewish man multiple times, before running towards two Border Police officers who rushed to intervene. The assailant appeared to try and stab one of the officers, before getting shot multiple times.
WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE
Another video, captured by a motorist driving by, shows the immediate aftermath of the stabbing and first shots fired. The two officers approach the already wounded Palestinian, lying prone on the ground, with one of the officers taking two shots at him, the last bullet apparently killing the man.
WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE
The actions of the Israeli officers have been condemned by Palestinians, with top officials branding the shooting a cold-blooded murder.
“The killing of the young man after he had been wounded is a documented war crime,” President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement.
Israeli officials, for their part, lauded the Border Police for their intervention in the stabbing, praising the resolve and quick-thinking of the officers involved in the shooting.
The chief of the force Amir Cohen said the two had acted correctly in the situation, while Israeli PM Naftali Bennett said they’d “acted very quickly and decisively, as expected of Israeli police, against a terrorist who tried to murder an Israeli citizen.”
The Haredi man suffered “moderate” injuries during the incident, ending up hospitalized and in “stable” condition. While Israeli authorities have branded the stabbing a “terrorist attack,” the motives behind the actions of the Palestinian assailant remain unknown.