IDF Faces Off Against Shomron Rioters

IDF soldiers faced off against rioters outside the Shomron town of Yitzhar overnight Monday. The riots broke out after a dispute evolved between local Arabs and residents of the town. The Arabs threw rocks, concrete blocks and firebombs at residents and soldiers. IDF soldiers responded with anti-riot measures. Palestinian Authority sources said that two of the rioters were shot. There were no injuries on the Israeli side.

IDF soldiers overnight Monday caught an Arab who attempted to enter Me’aras Hamachpelah with a knife. The knife was found when the Arab passed through a metal detector. He was detained and the knife was confiscated. Me’aras Hamachpelah was closed to Jews Monday night and Tuesday, as Muslims commemorated the final night of Ramadan. Some 10,000 Arabs visited the site overnight Monday, officials said.

A Nazareth court on Tuesday extended the remand of the suspect in the stabbing of an Afula resident Monday afternoon. The victim of the stabbing, a 19-year-old Israeli female, remains in serious to critical condition in Ha’emek Hospital in the city. The perpetrator, a 20-year-old from Jenin, was in the hospital with moderate injuries after police shot him as he attempted to run away from a security checkpoint that was set up after the stabbing. Police are investigating the incident and believe that it is terror-related.