Border Police arrested a female Palestinian Authority resident armed with a knife near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a police spokesperson reported on Sunday.
The woman, who was acting suspiciously, attempted to approach the security forces at the site and was disarmed without them needing to use their weapons."She attempted to go through the metal detectors and was stopped by officers," the police spokespersons office stated. "The suspect who was armed with a knife approached the guards who were standing behind a protected area and managed to disarm the woman without shots being fired," they added.In addition to a knife, she was also carrying a copy of the Quran, the Islamic holy book. The woman is currently being questioned by security forces. The Cave of the Patriarchs is sacred to both Jews and Muslims, where the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and matriarchs Sarah Rebecca and Leah are buried.
Stabbing attempts have been frequent in the city which is 80% under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction and 20% under Israeli jurisdiction. In some cases PA residents have been shot and killed in the stabbing attempts, but in the past several years, new procedures have enabled border police to disarm the suspects. In 2016, Genadi Kaufman, who worked as a gardener at the Cave of the Patriarchs was stabbed to death by a PA resident while waiting for the bus.The latest knife incident took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. A week ago, Jewish settlers and Muslim Palestinians met together in Hebron to participate in a traditional iftar meal break-fast and discuss joint economic ventures.