Ashkelon police officer stabbed, terrorist shot dead

Palestinian construction worker from Hebron stabs police officer in coastal city; unclear if attacker held valid work permit.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A Palestinian assailant was shot dead early Tuesday morning after stabbing a police officer at a construction site in the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.

According to a police statement, local police had been called to the building site by neighbors to investigate a man who was behaving suspiciously.

A police officer asked the man to identify himself, and he responded by pulling out a knife and stabbing him. The officer then shot the attacker dead.

The officer, slightly wounded, was transported to Barzilai Hospital for medical treatment.

The assailant, a resident of Hebron in his 40s, held a Palestinian Authority-issued identification card. The Israeli authorities did not say whether or not he had a valid permit to work in Israel.

Tens of thousands of construction workers from Palestinian Authority-controlled areas in Judea and Samaria work at Israeli building sites on a daily basis. While some hold Israeli government-issued work permits, many enter illegally or overstay their permits.

The Israeli government largely turns a blind eye to the practice, as some officials, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, believe that allowing Palestinians to earn a living inside Israel provides economic opportunity that reduces terror.

The terrorists who perpetrated the deadly B’nei Brak terror attack in late March, which left five people dead, and last week’s Tel Aviv shooting spree that killed three, were both Palestinians who had illegally entered Israel on multiple occasions.