2017 Har Adar shooting

On the morning of 26 September 2017, a Palestinian gunman opened fire at Israeli security guards at the entrance gate of Har Adar, an Israeli settlement and affluent residential border community of Jerusalem located largely on the other side of the green line within the West Bank.[1] Three Israeli security guards were killed and a fourth was injured. The gunman was shot dead by the remaining guards. The Israeli authorities described the attack as an 'act of terrorism'.[2]

2017 Har Adar shooting
Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
LocationHar Adar, West Bank
Coordinates31°49′43.835″N 35°08′11.198″E
Date26 September 2017 (2017-09-26)
07:14 (UTC+03:00)
TargetIsraeli security forces
Attack type
Mass shooting
WeaponCZ 82 pistol
Deaths4 (including the perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorNimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal

Background

Har Adar was initially built adjacent to the Green Line but has grown past it since the 1967 Six-Day War and is now largely located within the West Bank.[3][1] Two hundred Palestinian workers enter the town through the gate where the attack took place daily.[4][5] Around 100,000 Palestinians hold permits that allow them to work in Israel and within Israeli settlements, mostly as manual laborers.[6]

Attack

The attack took place as the gunman approached an entrance to Har Adar guarded by a border policeman and two civilian security guards. Border policeman Solomon Gavriyah (20) of Be'er Ya'akov, was killed, as were civilian security guards Youssef Ottman (25) of Abu Ghosh and Or Arish (25) of Har Adar. A fourth man, the head civilian security officer of Har Adar, was injured. The attacker was shot and killed.[7]

Sgt. Solomon Gavriyah was killed in the attack

Prior to the attack two Machsom Watch activists approached the checkpoint, upon which Gavriyah left the checkpoint and requested they step away. Police reported that one of the activists told Ethiopian-Israeli Gavriyah "You are a disgrace", which the activist later denied.[8] Upon Gavriyah returning to his post the attacker began shooting.[8]

Perpetrator

Nimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal, a 37-year-old man and a father of four, who was from the neighboring village of Beit Surik, was behind the attack. He held a license to work in Israeli settlements.[9][5] An initial inquiry into the attack uncovered Jamal suffered from severe personal and family issues, including domestic violence. It was reported that he physically assaulted his wife, and as a result, she fled to Jordan several weeks ago, leaving him with the children.[10] Minutes before carrying out the attack, Jamal sent his wife a message on Facebook Messenger, apologizing for what he was about to do, mourned her departure and said he had been a terrible husband to her.[11]

In another Facebook posting, also made just before the attack, Jamal said he "feared no one but God."[10][11]

Diplomatic reactions
Domestic
Supranational
  • European Union condemns the attack, saying attempts by Hamas to glorify the attack are reprehensible.[14] "There can be no justification for such a crime and attempts by Hamas to glorify the attack are reprehensible. Violence and terror will only achieve more loss and pain and must stop."[15]
  • UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, said in a statement: "It is deplorable that Hamas and others continue to glorify such attacks, which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis. I urge all to condemn violence and stand up to terror".[16]
International
  • French Ambassador to Israel Hélène Le Gal and the French Foreign Ministry both condemned the attack, sending their condolences to the victims and said that France will always stand by Israel's right to peace and security.[16]
  • United States Embassy in Tel Aviv and the United States Consulate in Jerusalem issued a joint statement condemning the attack. The embassy in Tel Aviv deals with the Israeli government, and the consulate in Jerusalem is responsible for the Palestinian Authority.[17] "We condemn in the strongest possible terms today’s horrific attack in Har Adar. We also condemn statements glorifying terrorism and call on all to send a clear message that terrorism must never be tolerated".[18]

See also
  • List of terrorist incidents in September 2017
  • List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, July–December 2017

References
  1. Kershner, Isabel (26 September 2017). "Palestinian Gunman Kills 3 Israelis at West Bank Crossing". New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  2. "Palestinian gunman kills three Israelis in West Bank". www.bbc.com. 26 September 2017.
  3. Shaul Ephraim Cohen (June 1993). The Politics of Planting: Israeli-Palestinian Competition for Control of Land in the Jerusalem Periphery. University of Chicago Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-226-11276-3.
  4. Lazaroff, Tovah (26 September 2017). "First-ever Har Adar terror attack leaves residents reeling". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  5. Kershner, Isabel (26 September 2017). "Palestinian Gunman Kills 3 at West Bank Checkpoint". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  6. Eglash, Ruth (26 September 2017). "Palestinian shoots dead 3 Israelis at settlement near Jerusalem". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  7. "Border cop, 2 security guards named as victims of Har Adar shooting". Times of Israel. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  8. Border policemen: Leftist activist told policeman who was killed "you are a shame" before he was shot, Channel 10 News, 28 Sep 2017
  9. Jones, Rory (26 September 2017). "Three Israelis Killed". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  10. Osmo, Liad (26 September 2017). "Terrorist sends apologetic message to wife minutes before attack". Ynetnews. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  11. Lieber, Dov (26 September 2017). "Wife of Har Adar terrorist left him weeks before shooting". Times of Israel.
  12. "Netanyahu blames Palestinian incitement for shooting attack as US, EU condemn". i24NEWS. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  13. "Hamas speaks highly of deadly shooting attack that killed 3 Israelis". The Jerusalem Post. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  14. Benari, Elad (26 September 2017). "EU condemns Har Adar attack". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  15. FULBRIGHT, ALEXANDER (26 September 2017). "EU slams 'reprehensible' Hamas praise for Har Adar terror attack". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  16. Ravid, Barak (26 September 2017). "U.S., EU, France Condemn Terror Attack That Killed Three Israelis Near West Bank Settlement". Haaretz. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  17. Keinon, Herb (26 September 2017). "United States, UN quickly condemn Har Adar terror attack". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  18. "Joint Embassy Tel Aviv-Consulate General Jerusalem Statement on the Har Adar Attack | U.S. Embassy in Israel". U.S. Embassy in Israel. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
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