East Jerusalem man perpetrated ramming attack; Hamas hails 'heroic' act
"The truck operation in Jerusalem affirms that all attempts to encircle the intifada will fail."
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: JANUARY 8, 2017 18:19Scene of Jerusalem ramming attack(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Hamas lauded as "heroic" the deadly truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem on Sunday that left four Israelis killed and more than a dozen others wounded."The truck operation in Jerusalem affirms that all attempts to encircle the [Palestinian] intifada will fail," the Palestinian terrorist group said on Twitter.The group stopped short of taking credit for the attack.Paramedics at scene of Jerusalem vehicular terror attack at the Armon Hanatziv promenade, Jan. 8, 2017 (credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM)Police identified the driver as an Arab resident of east Jerusalem. The motorist was shot and neutralized after plowing into a group of bystanders at the promenade in the capital's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.It was not immediately known if the perpetrator acted alone or was part of a terrorist organization. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the scene of the attack that the man was a resident of the east Jerusalem neighborhood Jebl Mukaber and he was likely a supporter of Islamic State.The Armon Hanatziv neighborhood abuts the Arab neighborhood of Jebl Mukaber. The area has been the scene of numerous attacks over the past 15 months.Following a terror attack in which two people were killed by Jebl Mukaber residents in Armon Hanatziv in October 2015, a wall was temporarily erected separating the Arab and Jewish neighborhoods.The wall was taken down shortly afterward following complaints from numerous human rights groups and left-wing politicians who condemned it as collective punishment that violated the rights of law-abiding Arab residents.Adam Rasgon and Daniel K. Eisenbud contributed to this report.