IDF Soldiers shot at after run in with suspicious vehicle in West Bank

Second Palstinian car attempts to run over company commander; no injuries or damages resulted from the attack.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
IDF soldiers in West Bank 390 (photo credit: REUTERS)
IDF soldiers in West Bank 390
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Passengers from a vehicle leaving the West Bank village of Ni’lin fired shots at soldiers early on Thursday morning, the IDF said.
The attack took place when an IDF unit stationed near Ramallah identified the vehicle as suspicious. No injuries or damages resulted from the attack, the army said.
During searches for the vehicle, a second Palestinian car attempted to run over a company commander. The commander opened fire at the vehicle, which sped away from the scene.
The IDF said investigations were continuing in the area.
On October 26, a shooting attack occurred on an Israeli civilian vehicle near Nil’in.
The car sustained bullet damage but no one was hurt in the attack. The gunmen are still at large.
Last week, senior IDF officials estimated that the chances of an intifada breaking out in Judea and Samaria are low, but added that they are nevertheless preparing for the worst-case scenario in the event that peace talks fail and violence escalates.
By March-April, when the nine-month deadline set for the talks approaches, “We want to be ready for everything,” a high-ranking military source said.
He added, however, that he did not “identify any real momentum [among Palestinians] that is unusual compared to the current situation.”
Currently, the IDF has fewer than 20 battalions securing the West Bank, but that number would increase in the event of an upsurge in Palestinian violence.
In October, three Palestinians were arrested for the slaying of an Israeli civilian outside of his Jordan Valley home. In September, Palestinian terrorists killed two soldiers in separate incidents in the West Bank.