On 5 February 2018, 29-year-old rabbi Itamar Ben Gal from Har Brakha, was stabbed to death at the Ariel Junction, near the West Bank Israeli settlement and city of Ariel. The assailant had escaped from the scene, but was arrested following a six-week manhunt. A protester was killed during a violent demonstration against searching for the suspect.
| Murder of Itamar Ben Gal | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict | |
 Ariel, where the attack took place | |
  The attack site | |
| Native name | הפיגוע בצומת אריאל (2018) |
| Location | Ariel, West Bank |
| Coordinates | 32°06′25″N 35°09′54″E / 32.10694°N 35.16500°E |
| Date | 5 February 2018 c. 10:45 am (UTC+2) |
Attack type | Stabbing |
| Weapons | Knife |
| Deaths | 1 civilian (+1 during clashes) |
| Victim | Itamar Ben Gal |
| Assailant | Abed al-Karim Adel Assi |
| Motive | Anti-semitism[1][2] |
Incident
The attack occurred at a bus stop at the Ariel Junction, on Highway 5. On 5 February 2018, a rabbi was attacked by a man who fatally stabbed him multiple times in the upper body.[3][4][5]
The perpetrator is said to have decided to kill a Jew during an argument with a policeman at a road junction near Ariel. He purchased two knives, each 27-centimeters-long, at a store in Nablus, and returned to the junction. There, he identified Rabbi Ben Gal as a Jew due to the fact that he was wearing a kippah. He attacked Ben Gal, and gave chase when Ben Gal ran away. The perpetrator was stopped from pursuing his victim when he was struck by a passing car.[1]
Perpetrator
Abed al-Karim Adel Assi (alt. Abd al-Hakim Asi), a 19 year-old Israeli Arab resident of Jaffa, was behind the attack.[6] His parents are separated. Assis' father lives in Nablus; his mother lives in Haifa. Assis is known to have resided at one time in a home for at-risk youth and to have received social services aid over the years.[7]
Manhunt
During the manhunt for Assi, there were clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian rioters in the city of Nablus, and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a Palestinian man, Khaled Tayeh, died.[8]
The six-week manhunt ended with capture of the perpetrator.[9]
Legal proceedings
Assi was indicted for murder and charged with selecting his victim because he was a Jew.[1][2] He was convicted.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Arab-Israeli terrorist indicted for stabbing rabbi in West Bank". i24News. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ a b Berger, Yotam (29 March 2018). "Israeli Arab Terrorist Behind Murder of West Bank Rabbi Charged Abed al-Hakim Asi identified Rabbi Itamar Ben Gal as Jewish by his clothing and skullcap, prosecution says, confirming attack was politically motivated". Haaretz. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ^ "Israeli stabbed to death in West Bank attack, assailant on the loose". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Israeli killed in terror stabbing attack in West Bank". Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Man stabbed in Ariel terror attack pronounced dead; terrorist escaped". Ynetnews. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ Porat, Ido Ben (6 February 2018). "'My husband will not return to the community he loved so much'". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ Magid, Jacob (5 February 2018). "Ariel terrorist has Israeli citizenship, lived in Jaffa". Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ "One Palestinian reported killed, 110 wounded in clashes with IDF". Jerusalem Post. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ Ahronheim, Anna (18 March 2017). "Security forces capture terrorist who stabbed Itamar Ben-Gal to death". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ "Arab Israeli convicted over fatal stabbing of rabbi in West Bank". Times of Israel. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
