Truck attack kills 4 Israeli soldiers, wounds 17 others
JERUSALEM — A Palestinian truck driver on Sunday rammed his vehicle into a crowd of Israeli soldiers at a popular Jerusalem tourist spot, killing four people and wounding 17 others in the deadliest single attack of more than a year of IsraeliPalestinian violence.
The attack came at a time of heightened tensions in Jerusalem, where Palestinians have warned of dire consequences if incoming President Donald Trump follows through on his promise to move the U.S. Embassy to the city. The atmosphere among Israelis is also charged following last week’s manslaughter conviction of an Israeli soldier who fatally shot a wounded Palestinian attacker.
The attacker, identified as 28-year-old Fadi Qunbar, came from the Palestinian neighbourhood of Jabel Mukaber in east Jerusalem — located near the attack site.
The neighbourhood, home to many other past attackers, has sporadically experienced violent clashes between residents and Israeli security forces. Netanyahu ordered a closure of the neighbourhood. Israeli media said his Security Cabinet decided to destroy the attacker’s home and withhold the release of his body.
Relatives and neighbours said Qunbar, a father of four, espoused an ultra-conservative version of Islam, known as Salafism, and had no known ties to militant groups. Salafism is split into peaceful and violent streams, with the latter promoting ideas that are close to those of IS.
Neither IS nor any other group claimed Sunday’s attack. The vast majority of attacks in the current wave of violence were carried out by individuals without links to militant groups.
A woman who identified herself as Qunbar’s sister told journalists that his wife had asked him to come home for lunch, but that he turned her down because he “had work to do.”