Jerusalem (AFP) – A private security guard at a checkpoint near Jerusalem shot and killed a woman on Saturday who allegedly planned to carry out a stabbing attack, Israeli police said.
The police said in a statement that the guard at the Qalandia checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, saw the woman carrying a knife and shot her.
Several amateur videos filmed by Palestinians at the crossing showed the woman lying on the ground on the Israeli side of the crossing. Police later said she was a 28-year-old Palestinian.
Qalandia is the main crossing point for Palestinian residents of the West Bank entering Israel, especially those heading to Jerusalem. The barrier is operated by private security companies, but the Israeli police are deployed after violent incidents. The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, stated that the Israeli forces closed the crossing on both sides.
Five years ago, Palestinians launched stabbing and ramming attacks against Israelis in the occupied West Bank and annexation of East Jerusalem, but the attacks have waned in recent years.
Palestinians seek the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy, as part of a future state alongside Gaza and East Jerusalem. Israel says that Jerusalem is indivisible. Peace negotiations have been suspended for many years.
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