Jewish Teen With Death Wish Killed By Israeli Troops
Image by getty images
Israeli troops shot dead a 19-year-old man on Tuesday who ran at them with a knife at a Jerusalem area checkpoint often used by Palestinians, later discovering he had apparently wanted to kill himself.
Police initially said the attacker was Palestinian, but then identified him as a Jewish man from Jerusalem.
“The security officers felt immediate danger on their lives and took measures to … neutralize him,” said a police spokeswoman.
She confirmed media reports that, while investigating the background to the incident, it became apparent to police that the man had been trying to commit suicide.
Israeli forces have been on high alert — especially at such crossings around Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank — since a wave of Palestinian street attacks began in October 2015. The frequency of the attacks has slowed but not stopped.
Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership.
Palestinians have accused Israel of using excessive force and say some of those killed posed no threat or had no intention of attacking anyone.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
