W. Bank: Palestinians attack IDF vehicles in Jenin
In response to search for terrorist in Jenin, hundreds of Palestinians throw rocks, petrol bombs at IDF forces.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFJenin 311 R(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at IDF jeeps as they left Jenin on Thursday afternoon. There were no casualties.The soldiers had driven into the West Bank city’s industrial zone in search of a wanted terrorist.They failed to find the man, but did arrest another Palestinian.Security sources did not name the suspects, their organizations or the specific reasons for which they were sought, beyond citing terrorist-related activities.It was the second time this week that Israeli forces entered the Jenin area to detain suspects.On Tuesday, IDF soldiers disguised as Palestinians raided the village of Tammun, arresting a member of Islamic Jihad. Several dozen Palestinians were injured in the ensuing fight, medical officials said.In Thursday’s incident, the soldiers clashed with some 500 Palestinians, and were forced out of Jenin, the security source said. An elderly Palestinian woman was lightly injured by a dog used by Israeli forces during the operation.As the soldiers left Jenin, Palestinians hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at their jeeps, and rolled burning tires toward the vehicles.A video of the incident was posted on YouTube. In one brief clip, it appears that a number of Palestinians were able to climb onto one of the jeeps and hang on as it drove down the road.
A security source rejected attempts by the media to portray the IDF as retreating from Jenin. The source noted that the attack happened as the soldiers were already in the process of exiting the city.Reuters contributed to this report.
