David Stern is a “professional fighter” who is “the coolest head under fire in existence.”
By World Israel News Staff
A dual American-Israeli citizen managed to draw his own weapon and shoot and neutralize a Palestinian terrorist after he was shot at point blank range in Huwara on Sunday.
David Stern, a martial arts instructor, was wounded when a Palestinian terrorist shot him in the head after approaching his vehicle on Route 60 near the Palestinian village of Hawara, Samaria. He then shot the terrorist who abandoned his Carlo-style machine gun and fled, before being caught by Israeli authorities who neutralized him.
MK Tzvi Sukkot from the Religious Zionist Party described Stern as a “professional fighter” who was “the coolest head under fire in existence.”
“After sustaining a direct volley [of gunfire], he managed to return fire and wound the terrorist – and then treat himself. A miracle happened here!” Sukkot tweeted, adding that Stern was a “dear friend.”
Stern, and his wife, were evacuated to Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson in Petah Tikvah. She was treated for shock. He was described as being in moderate to serious condition.
Their children were in the back of the vehicle but were not harmed in the attack. The couple were evacuated to a hospital in Petah Tikva.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Stern a “hero” for shooting the terrorist.
“I am praying for the wounded hero injured in the attack in Huwara, who was able to neutralize the terrorist. I send my support to the security forces operating in the area. I reiterate: Anyone trying to harm the citizens of Israel will pay the price,” he said.
The attack occurred near the scene of a deadly shooting last month that claimed the lives of two brothers – Hillel Menachem Yaniv, 22, and Yigal Yaakov Yaniv, 20.
According to a new poll, 71% of the residents of Huwara, a hotbed of terror, approved of the brothers’ murder. There were celebrations in the village after the attack. Huwara has been the site of dozens of terror attacks over the past two decades, including several car-ramming attacks, IEDs, and pipe bombings.
Within a couple of hours of the terror attack last month, dozens of Jewish residents of nearby settlements rioted in Huwara, burning cars and clashing with residents.
Following the riots, Yaya Fink, a member of the left-wing Labor party, launched a crowdsourcing fund for Huwara to cover the costs of damaged property – which horrified the family of the Yaniv brothers. Mother Esti Yaniv called it “a backward campaign for the people who handed out baklavas after the murder of my children.”
The attack took place as Israeli and Palestinian delegations met in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh in an attempt to “curb and counter violence, incitement and inflammatory statements” and “prevent further violence,” according to a joint statement from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan and the U.S.
The parties would work together to “advance security, stability and peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
According to the communique, Israel had committed to “stop discussion of any new settlement units for 4 months and to stop authorization of any outposts for 6 months.”
Last month’s terror attack that claimed the lives of the Yaniv brothers in the same place also occurred as Israeli and Palestinian delegations met in Aqaba.
After that summit, the U.S. issued a similar statement of Israeli commitment to “stop discussion of any new settlement units for four months and to stop authorization of any outposts for six months.”
Netanyahu later denied agreeing to a settlement freeze.