"Why should it be investigated?" questioned MK Bezalel Smotrich (Union of Right-Wing Parties) regarding Wednesday night's incident in which a suspected terrorist was shot.
Reacting to the news that the Israel Defense Force would investigate the incident, Smotrich posted on Twitter, "Whoever throws rocks at Israeli vehicles is a terrorist and it is very good that he was shot and killed. If this happened more, there would have been fewer attacks and fewer rock-throwing. "
לא הבנתי מה הבעיה ומה יש לתחקר. מי שזורק אבנים לעבר רכבים ישראלים הוא מחבל וטוב מאוד שהוא נורה ונהרג. אם זה היה קורה יותר היו כאן הרבה פחות פיגועים והרבה פחות זריקות אבנים. https://t.co/Yvhyp1CSCL
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) March 20, 2019
The IDF said in a statement that a soldier stationed near Bethlehem “opened fire after identifying rocks being thrown at Israeli vehicles.”
Palestinian media reported that a 26-year-old was killed and one other injured in the incident.In the past rocks thrown at vehicles have killed Israelis. Incidents have included the murder of Asher Palmer and his infant son Yonatan in 2011 and Alexander Levlovitz in 2015.