Palestinian Authority claims Israel planting knives near the bodies of Palestinians
"Israel has become professional in distorting the facts... accusing victims of its crimes that they were carrying knives or by planting a knife next to their bodies," said a PA spokesman.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHUpdated: NOVEMBER 23, 2015 01:28Scene of stabbing attack in Gush Etzion
The Palestinian Authority government on Sunday accused Israeli authorities of planting knives near the bodies of Palestinians who are killed during stabbing attacks against Israelis.In response to the killing of 16-year-old Ashraqat Katnani after she tried to stab Israelis near Nablus, the government said: “Israel is violating all international treaties that provide protection for children. Israel has become professional in distorting the facts to divert attention from its crimes by accusing victims of its crimes that they were carrying knives or by planting a knife next to their bodies.”The PA government said that Katnani was a “victim of daily crimes and organized terrorism carried out by the occupation.”However, the girl’s father, Taha, was quoted by Palestinian media outlets as saying that his daughter had planned the attack because she wanted to die as a “martyr.”He said that his high-school daughter set out to seek “martyrdom.” He added: “I’m proud of her. The father said that Katnani had also asked that her organs be donated after her death.Citizens and security forces killed Katnani on Sunday, after she had attempted to knife Israelis as they waited by a bus stop and a hitch-hiking post, near the Hawara checkpoint just outside the city of Nablus in the West Bank.Former Samaria Council head Gershon Mesika, who ran over Katnani with his car, that he "saw someone large running after a young woman. I didn’t think twice, I turned the steering wheel to the right, I pressed my foot onto the gas, and ran her over."“She fell over and then security forces shot her,” he said.This incident was one of several which occurred on Sunday. In another incident, a Palestinian tried to ram a taxi into Israelis at a West Bank junction near Jericho and then got out with a knife in his hand to stab them, before an armed Israeli at the scene shot him dead, police said.In the latest incident, police said a Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli woman at a junction near a West Bank settlement bloc. A military spokesman said the assailant was shot and killed.
Ofir Gendelman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Arabic-language spokesman responded to the charges on Twitter.“The PA says the girl who carried out a stabbing attack today was innocent but her dad says: She wanted to stab Israelis, I’m proud of her. Father of the 16 y/o Palestinian girl who went on a stabbing attack today: She wanted to stab, asked me about the best knives in the house.”Tovah Lazaroff and Reuters contributed to this report.