Car-ramming in Samaria: 2 wounded, terrorist flees

Following a brief manhunt, the suspect is now with the security forces and has been handed over for further investigation.

By World Israel News Staff

A terrorist wounded two Israelis Tuesday evening, one moderately and one lightly, in a car-ramming attack at a bus stop at the Tapuach Junction in Samaria.

The victims, both conscious, were evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah.

The assailant, who was driving a commercial vehicle, sped towards the two victims as they were crossing the road.

Security forces fired at the terrorist, who managed to flee the scene. After a brief manhunt, the suspect was caught and taken for further investigation.

The attack was carried out while Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the region on heels of a bloody weekend in Jerusalem. On Friday night, a Palestinian terrorist shot seven people to death outside a synagogue following Sabbath eve prayers; others were wounded. The next day, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot and wounded a father and son in the Old City.

At a joint press conference Monday night in Jerusalem, after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken condemned the attacks. He then went on to push the Biden Administration’s agenda for a two-state solution and “equal measure of freedom” for Israelis and Palestinians.

“We’re urging all sides now to take urgent steps to restore calm, to de-escalate,” Blinken said . “We want to make sure that there’s an environment in which we can, I hope at some point, create conditions where we can start to restore a sense of security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, which of course is sorely lacking…

“Our goal is to bring about equality between the Israeli and Palestinian citizens, who will both enjoy the same freedoms. Anything that takes us away from a two-state solution is harmful to Israel’s long-term security.”

The top U.S. diplomat met Tuesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. “Palestinians and Israelis alike are experiencing growing insecurity, growing fear in their homes, in their communities and in their places of worship,” Blinken said, while standing with the PA leader.