A vehicular attack in Jerusalem in which a three month-old baby girl was killed: The attack was carried out on the backdrop of a wave of Palestinian riots and violence as part of the Palestinian so-called “popular resistance”

Overview: The Vehicular Attack and Its Place in the "Popular Resistance"

1. On the afternoon of October 22, 2014, a Palestinian terrorist operative from Silwan in east Jerusalem carried out a vehicular attack at the Ammunition Hill light rail station in Jerusalem. A three month-old baby girl was killed and eight people were wounded, one of them, a 20 year-old woman, critically.

2. The vehicular attack was carried out on the backdrop of the growing tension in Jerusalem in general and on the Temple Mount in particular. Tensions have been worsening during the past three months because of the murder of Muhammad Abu Kheir and Operation Protective Edge. In the past two weeks, during the Jewish High Holidays when Jews were given authorization to visit the Temple Mount, tensions increased and there were violent confrontations between Palestinian rioters and the Israeli security forces.

3. There was a rise in the number of rock-throwing and Molotov cocktail attacks, and in the number of riots held by Palestinian east Jerusalem residents. The main target was public transportation (buses and the light rail passing through east Jerusalem neighborhoods). Hamas has repeatedly issued statements inciting Palestinians (and Israeli Arabs) to confront and clash with the Israeli security forces, while Mahmoud Abbas has blamed Israel for the situation and provided political and propaganda support for the rioters.

4. Vehicular attacks have been carried out from time to time, especially in Jerusalem, as part of the Palestinian strategy of "popular resistance." They are usually carried out by lone terrorists operating on their own initiative. Such attacks do not require thorough planning or the acquisition of weapons, and they are usually carried out on the perpetrator's own initiative, using a car or heavy equipment such as a tractor or bulldozer^[1] (See Appendix).

5. The so-called "popular resistance" is an anti-Israeli strategy adopted by Fatah and supported by the Palestinian Authority (PA). It usually makes massive use of throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, and sporadic use of stabbing and vehicular attacks. The PA, which has opposed the use of firearms, fully legitimizes the "popular resistance," both internally and in the international arena.^[2]

The Vehicular Attack at Ammunition Hill

6.   The vehicular attack at the Ammunition Hill light rail train station occurred on the afternoon of October 22, 2014. The terrorist drove from the French Hill to the train station, crossing the tracks to the platform and ramming into passengers who had disembarked from one of the cars. First he hit a mother and her infant daughter, and then an elderly woman, then other passengers who were either exiting the train or trying to get on. After a short distance he ran into a telephone pole and stopped.

7.   The terrorist tried to get out of the car but could not open the door. He exited through the window and tried to flee the scene on foot. A policeman who chased him fired into the air, and when the terrorist did not stop he shot at his legs. The terrorist was evacuated to a hospital in critical condition and later died.

8.   The infant girl killed was Chaya Zissel Braun, three months old. She was evacuated to a hospital in critical condition, and was declared dead two hours later. Eight other wounded persons, one in serious condition, were evacuated to hospital.

Left: The funeral held for the infant (Mivzaklive.co.il, October 22, 2014). Right: The infant Chaya Zissel Braun (Photo courtesy of the family).

9.   Riots broke out in the east Jerusalem neighborhoods of Issawiya and Silwan after the attack, carried out by masked Palestinians. Stone barricades were erected and rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli security forces. The riots continued the following day (October 23, 2014), when rioters continued throwing rocks at Israeli security forces, the light rail line in Shuafat and a kindergarten in the Maaleh Zeitim neighborhood in Ras al-Amoud, east Jerusalem (information updated to noon October 23, 2014).

The Terrorist Who Carried Out the Vehicular Attack

10.  The terrorist who carried out the attack was Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi, 21, a Hamas operative. He was born in Silwad north of Ramallah but according to his documents he resided in the Silwan neighborhood of east Jerusalem. In the past he committed security-related crimes. When he was 18 he, his brothers and friends were indicted for attacking Jewish residents of Silwan and for trying to prevent the Israeli security forces from entering the neighborhood. In May 2013 his sentence was plea-bargained to 16 months in prison. He was released in December 2013, and redetained for a month in February 2014.

Banner hung when Abd al-Shaloudi was released from prison. Pictured on it are his uncle, Hamas military-terrorist operative Muhi al-Din al-Sharif, Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin and Abd al-Shaloudi. The inscription reads "The Islamic Movement – Beit al-Maqdis congratulates the imprisoned hero Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi on his release from the occupation's prison" (PALDF, October 22, 2014).

11. Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi had two Facebook pages where he uploaded videos of Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades activities during Operation Protective Edge and the speeches of Hamas senior figure Mahmoud al-Zahar. His last Facebook posting was on October 11, 2014, and included a video of Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades training exercises. On October 10, 2014, he posted a picture of Al-Aqsa mosque in flames with the caption "Al-Aqsa is in danger… Al-Aqsa is in danger… Oh, Islamic nation!" He added his own caption reading "Leave for Al-Aqsa! Good morning." On September 19, 2014, he uploaded an Al-Jazeera TV video about the ISIS.

Left: A picture from his Facebook page; his T-shirt reads "We are all Gaza." Right: A picture uploaded to his Facebook page on October 2, 2014 taken at an archaeological dig in Jerusalem.

Reactions to the Attack

Hamas

12. Hamas-affiliated Facebook pages posted Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi's picture along with Muhi al-Din al-Sharif (at the right).It was said he was a Hamas military-terrorist operative, aka"Engineer Number Two," and killed by the IDF.^[3] At the left is Inas Dar Khalil, 5, who was killed in a traffic accident near the village of Sinjil (near Ramallah) on October 19, 2014.^[4] The upper inscription reads "Inas cried and Abd al-Rahman responded." According to the posting, the vehicular attack was carried out in revenge for her killing (PALDF, October 21, 2014). The lower inscription reads "The hero Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi, who carried out the vehicular attack against the settlers in the city of Jerusalem." By calling the civilian victims "settlers" Hamas "legitimizes" their murders.

Left to right: Inas Dar al-Khalil, Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi and Muhi al-Din al-Sharif. The upraised fist at the left with Al-Aqsa mosque in the background is the symbol of the recent riots on the Temple Mount. The inscription reads "I came when you called, Al-Aqsa" (PALDF, October 21, 2014)

Other postings on the Hamas forum. Left: Hamas death notice reading "The Islamic resistance movement mourns the death of its son, the shaheed, the hero Abd al-Rahman Idris al-Shaloudi, 23, who carried out the daring action in Jerusalem and ran over nine settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. That is [the essence of] jihad…victory or becoming a shaheed " (PALDF, October 23, 2014)

The Palestinian Authority

13.  Throughout the night of October 22 and morning of October 23, 2014 the Palestinian media in Judea and Samaria, especially the PA's official Wafa News Agency, reported the vehicular attack as an incident in which "a resident of Jerusalem died after being shot by the forces of the [Israeli] occupation." No mention was made of the vehicular attack or the infant's death.

14. As of noon, October 23, 2014, the PA has not officially responded to the terrorist attack. Riyadh al-Maliki, foreign minister of the Palestinian national consensus government, offered his condolences on the death of terrorist operative Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi but did not condemn the attack or the death of the infant (Voice of Palestine, October 23, 2014). Fatah in the Silwan area issued a death notice for Abd al-Rahman al-Shaloudi, calling him a shaheed "who carried out the Jerusalem operation that led to running over settlers in occupied Jerusalem."

Israel and the United States

15. In response to the terrorist attack Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said that was the way Mahmoud Abbas' partners in government operated, the same Mahmoud Abbas who a number of days ago incited Palestinians to attack in Judea and Jerusalem. He added that "…the attacks in Jerusalem are supported by Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen [i.e., Mahmoud Abbas], who both extols the murderers and embraces the organization that the terrorists belong to, Hamas. And against these actions by the Palestinian Authority Chairman, we find international weakness; they are not prepared to utter so much as a word of criticism against him…"^[5] Consulting with the minister of internal security, the chief of the Israel Police Force and the head of the Israel Security Agency, who updated him on the details of the attack, he ordered an increased security force presence in Jerusalem (Israeli prime minister's website, October 22, 2014).

16.  Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, currently in the United States, directly accused the PA of responsibility for the attack and indirectly accused its leader. He said the attack had clearly been the result of education in the PA, which was teaching the younger generation to hate the Jews and drive them out of their homeland (NRG.co.il, October 23, 2014).

17.  Jen Psaki, spokesperson for the American State Department, condemned the attack, sent her condolence to the Braun family on the death of the baby (an American citizen) and sent wishes to the wounded for a speedy recovery. She urged all sides to remain calm and prevent tension from escalating (American State Department website, October 22, 2014).

Appendix

Vehicular Attacks in Jerusalem

1.      The vehicular attacks carried out in Jerusalem, four of them using heavy equipment, claimed the lives of five Israelis and wounded more than 100:

1)  On August 4, 2014 (during Operation Protective Edge) a Palestinian terrorist drove an excavator from a construction site in the center of Jerusalem and ran over a pedestrian. He then tried to use the excavator blade to overturn a nearby bus. In the bus at the time were the driver and one passenger, both of whom sustained minor injuries and exited the bus. A member of the Israeli prison service shot and killed the attacker. Five other civilians sustained minor injuries. The terrorist was Muhammad Naif Ja'bis, from Jabal Mukaber in east Jerusalem, who had a criminal record.

2)  On March 5, 2009 a tractor driver attacked a police patrol car parked near the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. He lowered the blade onto the roof of the car, which had been called to the site to deal with a traffic accident. Two policemen in the car at the time sustained minor injuries. The driver, Mara'i al-Radeideh, 24, from Beit Hanina in northern Jerusalem, was shot and fatally wounded by three policemen and a taxi driver. He died on the way to the hospital. His brother, Younes Radeideh, carried out a vehicular attack at an IDF camp near A-Ram on October 17, 2014.

3)  On July 22, 2008, a Palestinian took a tractor from a construction site near the Yemin Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem and drove it at high speed along a main road. On the way he rammed into a number of vehicles and after 250 meters was shot by a Border Police soldier. He wounded 24 people, one of them seriously. He was shot and killed by Israeli security forces. He came from Umm Tuba in east Jerusalem.

4)  On July 2, 2008, a Palestinian terrorist operative from Sur Baher in east Jerusalem used a large Caterpillar tractor to attack civilians in a crowded area in the center of Jerusalem. He sped from the construction site to a main road, where he drove into cars and pedestrians until a policeman, security guard and off-duty soldier shot and killed him, ending his rampage. The attack killed three people and wounded more than 70.

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