A car has run down a group of Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem in a suspected Palestinian attack and, in a separate incident, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian during clashes in the occupied West Bank.
Long-simmering Palestinian unrest has been stoked anew by anger at US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, which was embraced by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians when it was announced last week.
The Jerusalem car-ramming took place early on Thursday on David Remez Street, which is close to the Arab neighbourhoods of eastern parts of the city that Palestinians want for a state.
A theatre and late-night restaurants and bars are also located along the street.
A military spokeswoman said 12 soldiers were injured. They were sight-seeing after coming to the city to be sworn in upon completing basic training.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said a total of 14 people were injured, including one admitted to hospital with severe injuries and another with moderate injuries.
“The incident is being investigated as a terror attack,” a police spokesman said. The driver was still at large.
“It is just a matter of time – and not much time – until we get our hands on the attacker. Terrorism will mot defeat us, we will win,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Read the article by Dan Williams in The Canberra Times.