Arab girl, aged 16, attempts to stab border police officer in Jerusalem

Teen is from east Jerusalem; a second officer is lightly hurt during scuffle to bring suspect under control.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
Damascus Gate 390 (photo credit: BiblePlaces.com)
Damascus Gate 390
(photo credit: BiblePlaces.com)
A female 16-year-old Palestinian attempted to stab a border police officer stationed at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate Friday evening, before being disarmed and wrestled to the ground, police said Saturday.
The suspect, a resident of Jebl Mukaber in east Jerusalem, was arrested immediately following the attack, during which one officer sustained a minor cut to his leg.
The incident follows a recent uptick in terrorist attacks throughout the nation over the past two weeks.
On December 23, Rami Ravid, a 41-year-old police officer, was stabbed in the back by a Palestinian terrorist next to the West Bank Highway 60 junction, just outside of Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Ravid was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center with a 15-centimeter blade still lodged in his back. Although the knife was successfully removed during surgery, he lost a kidney. Police continue to search for his assailant.
Ravid’s assault came approximately 24 hours after Border Police thwarted a separate knife-wielding terrorist attack at the Ma’aleh Adumim checkpoint, and a bomb was detonated on an empty bus in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam earlier that afternoon.
No one was seriously wounded in either incident.
On Thursday, Israel Police, with the aid of the IDF and Shin Bet, arrested 14 Palestinians believed to be behind the bus bombing.
National police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that while all four incidents are considered terrorist attacks, they are believed to be unrelated, pending further investigation.
He added that the public is being asked to remain acutely aware of their surroundings at all times.