HAMAS SPEAKS HIGHLY OF DEADLY SHOOTING ATTACK THAT KILLED 3 ISRAELIS
“Once again Jerusalem proves that it is the heart of the conflict with the occupation,” Hamas spokesman Hazim Qassim said in a statement on his Facebook page. “The operation this morning in northern Jerusalem is a new chapter of the Jerusalem intifada and… an affirmation that our uprising youth will continue to fight until the people and land are completely liberated.”
(photo credit:AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS
Even though Hamas has said it does not want war with Israel at the present moment, it has encouraged shooting, ramming and knifing attacks against Israelis in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
In Tuesday’s attack, a Palestinian assailant opened fire on Israeli security personnel outside Har Adar, leaving three dead and one severely wounded, police said.
The attacker, a laborer from Bayt Surik, a village east of Har Adar, was shot dead at the scene, police added.
Qassim also said the attack is a popular rebuke of the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah’s approach to pursue freedoms and recognition in international bodies.
“The operation today indicates that our people reject the logic of begging for rights at international institutions. Our people will preserve their rights and holy sites with their soul and blood,” he said.
Since the failure of the peace talks in 2011, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has challenged Israel’s rule in international bodies including the United Nations. While his effort has afforded the State of Palestine recognition in a number of international organizations, it has failed to change the reality on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Islamic Jihad blessed Tuesday’s attack, saying it “embodies the living conscience of the Palestinian people and cause.”
“The blessed [operation] is a slap in the face of normalizers and conspirators and it says to all the people of the land that it is not possible to neglect one iota of Jerusalem’s soil or accept Zionists who are assailing [it],” Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shahab said in a statement.
Islamic Jihad has consistently called on Palestinians to carry out attacks against Israelis.
Fatah Mobilization and Organization Commission Spokesman Munir Jaghoub said that Israel bears responsibility for attacks against it.
“If Israel continues its aggression against the Palestinian people, it should expect more violence,” Jaghoub said in a post on Fatah’s official Facebook page. “Daily Israeli practices and violations at the expense of the our people everywhere is the reason for every cycle of violence.”
Fatah rarely rebukes Palestinians who carried out attacks against Israelis. However, Abbas, who is Fatah chairman, has instructed the Palestinian Authority security forces to prevent attacks against Israelis.
According to Israeli and Palestinian security sources, the PA has foiled hundreds of attacks against Israelis.