Jewish shepherd seriously injured by hoe-wielding Palestinian

Palestinian arrested for attack described as a “planned lynching.”

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

A Jewish shepherd is in the intensive care unit of Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba after being smashed in the head in the South Hebron Hills by a hoe-wielding Palestinian on Monday.

Mount Hebron Regional Council head Yohai Damri immediately called the evening assault “an attempted murder,” and demanded that the security forces “act decisively against the perpetrators, and restore deterrence and security to the residents and the region.”

In a later interview on Israel Army Radio, Damri added disturbing details. Saying that it was “a planned lynching,” he stated that the attack was staged for the benefit of cameras held by the Arabs’ Jewish supporters.

“On the hill opposite, left-wing activists were standing and taking pictures, trying to stage a provocation, and did not extend help to their Jewish brothers,” he charged.

A security source told Kan News that some 30 Palestinians converged on the area of the Maon Farm. While rioting and throwing rocks at the Jewish residents, at least one Palestinian came at the shepherd, who was tending his flock, and gave him a severe blow to the head with the farming implement.

Police and medical teams were called to the site. Magen David Adom paramedic Elyashiv Ameti described the injured man as being about 30 years old and “suffering from a severe bleeding head injury,” who was “in a state of semi-consciousness.” He was given primary care and then rushed to Soroka, where he was listed Tuesday morning as being in moderate to stable condition.

The main suspect in the attack was arrested on the scene. The IDF, which at first had told reporters that it was not directly involved in the case, apparently decided that it was a terrorist attack after all, and raided the nearby village of A-Tawani Monday night in search of more suspects.

According to some Arab reports, one of the primary assailants is a Palestinian Authority police officer.

In May, a Palestinian had been briefly detained by the authorities after sneaking into a home in Maon Farm. He was caught by the village’s security officer with no offensive weapons on him. After a short investigation the incident was not ruled an attempted terrorist attack and he was released.