Police officer stabbed by Palestinian in Netanya

Motive for the incident is still being investigated by police.

By ANNA AHRONHEIM
Updated: MAY 23, 2017 22:07
The scene of the stabbing attack in Netanya. (Magen David Adom)
A Palestinian assailant was shot and wounded after stabbing a policeman in Netanya on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old officer was taken to Laniado Medical Center with a moderate stab wound in the neck.
The suspect, a 45-year-old from Tulkarm, was shot by authorities. He was treated at the scene by Magen David Adom and is in satisfactory condition. A paramedic at the scene said the attacker had wounds to his upper extremities.
One female passerby was lightly wounded by shrapnel from the gunfire.
Police confirmed the incident was nationally motivated.
Earlier Tuesday, a projectile was fired from Sinai toward Israel. There were no rocket sirens, and the Eshkol Region spokesman said the projectile fell in an open area and the army was looking for its area of impact.
The stabbing and rocket fire came shortly after it was reported that a Palestinian was arrested at the Hizma checkpoint outside northeastern Jerusalem on Monday night suspected of planning an attack inside Israel.
According to police, the 38-year-old man was unarmed when he was detained following an intelligence tip, and he was taken into custody to be questioned by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
While authorities would not comment on the intended location of the attack, Walla News said the man had been planning to carry out the attack in Tel Aviv in the coming days.
Police told The Jerusalem Post that the thwarted attack was not related to US President Donald Trump’s two-day visit, which began Monday.
On Monday, Israeli security forces in the Palestinian town of Abu Dis near Ma’aleh Adumin, thwarted an attack after an assailant attempted to stab a Border Police officer at a guard post. The 16-year-old attacker, a Bethlehem resident, was shot by authorities and later died from his wounds.
The incident reportedly occurred while Trump was visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Several other Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli forces throughout the West Bank on Monday.
According to the Red Crescent, three Palestinians were hit by gunfire during protests in Kalandiya, north of Jerusalem, and in the town of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah. The three were reported to be in stable condition, and another 26 Palestinians are also receiving treatment for lighter wounds.