IDF soldiers shot and killed an Arab terrorist who tried to murder one of the troops on Monday afternoon at the Samaria junction near the Arab village of Huwara, south of the city of Shechem (Nablus).
The attacker drew a knife, approached the troops stationed at the junction and attempted to stab one of the soldiers, according to a statement by the IDF.
“The force responded to the immediate threat and fired at the suspect, resulting in his death,” the statement said.
Last month, Arab terrorists shot at an Israeli vehicle on the road near the Huwara checkpoint, close to Shechem. The car was traveling near the Jewish community of Tapuach at the time.
In September, a Jewish woman was shot in a terror attack near the same area.
The Tomb of the Biblical Patriarch Joseph is located in the ancient holy city of Shechem. Although the city is now under Arab control, the internationally-recognized Oslo Accords mandate free access to the site by Israeli Jews due to its sanctity in both Judaism and Islam.
Nevertheless, any Jew who approaches the site without first arranging an Israeli military escort does so at the risk of his life, as has been repeatedly made clear in numerous tragedies.
Even with the escort of the IDF, it is not also certain that Palestinian Authority Arabs will respect the international mandate. The convoy in which Israel Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef was traveling was attacked by PA Arabs, who threw stones at the vehicles as they drove towards the site. Furthermore, following the visit by the chief rabbi, the Tomb was once again burned down by the enraged Arabs.