 |
 |
 |
|
|
A shooting victim is brought into an ambulance. (David Wilder)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| By Israel Insider staff and partners March 7, 2005 |
|
| |
A lone Palestinian terrorist opened fire from the Hebron casbah with automatic weapons on border policemen at the Tomb of the Patriarchs Monday morning. One report said they were guarding the shrine which, as the traditional burial site of Abraham and other patriarchs and matriarchs, is holy to Jews and Muslims. Two border policemen were wounded, one seriously, and evacuated to hospital.
Immediately, a former border policeman, now a regular policeman guarding at the site, responded, shooting at the terrorist, possibly wounding him, and forcing him to flee. Minutes later massive forces began searching the casbah for the terrorist. The army has clamped a curfew on the area.
A Hebron-Kiryat Arba resident, Yisrael Bramsohn, was at the Israeli checkpoint, several meters from the Arab checkpoint, when the shooting began. Hearing cries of 'wounded,' Bromsohn, an army medic, quickly ran to the site of the attack, and examined the injured men. Despite the continued gunfire, Bromsohn administered immediate first aid to the critically wounded man, treating him until other medical personnel arrived, a spokesman from the Hebron community reported.
In response to the shooting, MK Micahel Gorolovsky (Likud) said, "The government brought about the attack since it has demonstrated weakness towards terrorists." MK Uri Ariel (National Union) said the Palestinians are taking advantage of what he termed the "euphoria of peace." He said Israel "must only rely on itself."
PM Ariel Sharon said: "This attack again underscores Israel's unequivocal stand that in order to end terrorism, we must fight a determined battle against the terrorists, those who dispatch them and those who finance them."
"This morning's attack at the Tomb of the Patriarchs was an attempt to attack Jews' freedom of religion at one of the Jewish People's holiest sites."
"We are fighting, all over the world, for the rights of Jews to pray without being attacked, and we defend the right of religious freedom for everyone -- Jews, Muslims and Christians -- to pray at their holy sites in Israel. We will continue to uphold the rights of all people to pray at the Tomb of the Patriarchs and we will not tolerate attempts by the terrorist organizations to prevent Jews from doing so."
"Jews will continue to pray at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and to live there."
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
