Two Border Police officers were run over Friday morning and were lightly to moderately injured in Umm al-Fahm, an all-Arab city halfway between Hadera and Afula in north-central Israel. The policemen opened fire at the terrorists in the car and hit both of them. One of the suspects, in his 20s, was shot to death and the other, also in his 20s, was only lightly wounded. According to Police, a gun was found in the suspects’ vehicle.
The police issued a statement saying around 8:20 AM, a vehicle was speeding toward Border Police officers who were on a mission in the city. The vehicle hit the policemen, one of whom was injured slightly to moderately and was evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera. The other was lightly injured and received treatment on the spot.
The Police are now calling this attack a criminal event, as the suspects who ran over the officers were criminals “known to the police.”
The Police had set up a checkpoint in Umm al-Fahm the area in response to violent incidents that took place in the city Thursday. The Police were arresting local residents as part of its investigation of Thursday’s events, and as a result, clashes broke out with the local Arabs.
On Thursday, a man was killed and another seriously injured by gunfire that hit their car in which they were traveling in Umm al-Fahm. The victim is Muhammad Hamza Burgel Agbaria, 33. Following the shooting, the car lost control and hit a truck.
On Thursday evening, four houses in the city were set on fire, and firefighters operated on the scene. Police suspect that the arson was related to the murder. Also, clashes erupted in the area in which shots were fired and stones were thrown.
Four suspects were arrested in connection to the riots in Umm al-Fahm.
Minister of Internal Security Amar Bar-Lev said in response to the ramming attack on Friday that “Border Police fighters and Israel Police officers have been operating in Umm al-Fahm since yesterday against criminal elements who think the law is in their hands. The same thing happened a short time ago when a vehicle broke through a checkpoint, tried to break through another checkpoint, and ran over and wounded two fighters who immediately responded by firing at the vehicle, hitting two suspects, arresting one, and grabbing a gun that was inside the car.”
Otzma Yehudit Chairman MK Itamar Ben Gvir issued his own statement, saying: “The terrorists who tried to run over the soldiers should have died on the spot and not been arrested.”
So, a few inaccuracies there: not soldiers – Border Police officers; and only one terrorist was arrested, the other having died “on the spot.”
MK Ben Gvir added, quite correctly: “It did not happen in Jenin or Ramallah, but in a place where there should be Israeli sovereignty that, if we don’t implement it, those who will control Umm al-Fahm and the Arab localities will be terrorist militias.”
MK Ben Gvir also criticized “the failed commissioner” who “should go home along with the Minister of Internal Security who promised change,” but the only change so far is the bad kind.