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Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > IDF soldier blinded by female terrorist in acid attack

IDF soldier blinded by female terrorist in acid attack

Attempted stabbing of soldier at same checkpoint three days after acid attack
September 22, 2008

IDF Soldier Blinded in Acid Attack by Arab Female at Hawara

22 Elul 5768, 22 September 08 07:19by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) An IDF soldier faces the prospect of surgery on Tuesday and the loss of his vision in the wake of an attack by a Palestinian Authority Arab woman who sprayed toxic acid in his face on Monday.

The terrorist attacked the young soldier while he was manning the Hawara checkpoint near the PA-controlled city of Shechem in Samaria. She sprayed the toxic acid in his face as she crossed through the humanitarian lane which requires no security checks, inasmuch as it is used for medical care and other urgent cases.

Soldiers arrested the woman, who was found to be the same terrorist who struck in a similar attack on another soldier at the same location last week.

The soldier was rushed to a nearby hospital and transferred to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah, where he was informed of the loss of vision in one of his eyes. Tuesday's operation is intended address the burns around his eyes.

Three PA Arabs were also injured from the substance. The attacker was taken into custody by other soldiers and transferred to security personnel for questioning.

Second Acid Attack in September

Monday's incident was the second assault by the same terrorist this month. In the previous attack, she also attempted to cross through the humanitarian lane. She then approached the soldier stationed in the lane, sprayed the acid at his face and raced back in the direction from which she had come. However, in the chaos that ensued last time, she succeeded in her escape.

Her victim, who suffered light injuries from the acid, was taken to the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikvah for treatment.

The Hawara checkpoint has been the scene of numerous attacks on IDF soldiers and attempts by PA Arab teenage terrorists to smuggle explosive materials and other weapons into pre-1967 Israel for attacks on civilians.

Such items have included pipe bombs, gunpowder, rifle magazines, knives and other weapons.

Nonetheless, the IDF is currently "investing many resources to renovate the Hawara crossing for the convenience of the Palestinian population in the area and to improve the traffic in it," said a statement issued by the Army Spokesperson's Office.

Not the First Female Terrorist in Samaria

There have been at least 10 suicide bombings perpetrated by female terrorists from Judea and Samaria since 2002. More than 40 female terrorists have been arrested since the Oslo War began on Rosh HaShana, 2000. Some were arrested while on their way to commit suicide attacks.

An 18-year-old female suicide bomber from Shechem blew herself up at a crowded Border Guard commuter stop in northern Jerusalem exactly four years ago this month, murdering two Israelis and wounding some 30 others. Zeinab Ali Isa Abu-Salem, described by an Israeli eyewitness as "extraordinarily beautiful" was the hostess of a children's TV show on a local station in Shechem owned by her family.

Abu-Salem detonated herself one day after US President George W. Bush had told the United Nations General Assembly that Israel must "end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people" in a reference to the security checkpoints.

A year earlier, on October 4, 2003, 28-year-old Hanadi Jaradat detonated an explosive belt she wore into the Maxim restaurant in Haifa in one of the worst bombing attacks ever. The female terrorist murdered 21 Jewish and Arab Israelis, and wounded 51 others. Among the victims were two families and four children, including a two-month-old baby.

Jaradat, a trainee lawyer and a member of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization based in Damascus, blew up a restaurant that is known as a symbol of co-existence, co-owned by a Jew and a Christian Arab. Although the interior of the establishment was completely destroyed, it was promptly rebuilt and business was restored within a few months. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127717

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Soldier attacked with acid may lose eye

Sep. 22, 2008
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST

An IDF soldier may lose sight in one eye after a Palestinian woman threw acid in his face on Monday as she tried crossing the Hawara checkpoint outside Nablus.

The soldier was hospitalized with light-to-moderate wounds and doctors said there was a chance that he would lose the sight in one of his eyes.

The woman, identified as a 19-year-old resident of Nablus, was behind a similar attack earlier in the month when she threw acid in the face of an officer at the checkpoint but succeeded in fleeing back into Nablus. On Monday she was captured and taken into police custody.

Lt. Avihai Weitzman, commander of the soldier's platoon, said that the wounded soldier was scheduled to undergo surgery on his eye on Tuesday. He said that the IDF would probe the incident and possibly change its deployment at the checkpoint.

"Thousands of Palestinians go through the checkpoint every day and our job is to go after the terrorists and not civilians," he said. "We operate according to the threats that we see and after an incident like this we will investigate and find out what happened."

Anan Abd el-Haq of Rafidiya Hospital in Nablus said soldiers wounded three bystanders with gunfire and shrapnel immediately after the incident. The military said, however, that soldiers fired only one shot in the air to keep the crowd at bay.

The IDF said that the woman came to the checkpoint from Nablus and entered the "humanitarian lane" which is meant to be used by Palestinians who are in need of immediate medical attention and are therefore allowed to bypass an inspection in the regular lane.

IDF sources said that the attack demonstrated a "cynical" use of IDF humanitarian efforts by Palestinian terrorists. The IDF, the sources stressed, had eased travel restrictions throughout the West Bank in recent weeks to enable Palestinians to travel more freely during the month of Ramadan.

Meanwhile Monday, the IDF revealed that the Palestinian terrorist who was killed on Saturday as he tried infiltrating Yitzhar with a Molotov cocktail was the same terrorist who infiltrated the settlement a week earlier and stabbed a nine-year-old boy. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017355446&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Hawara: Arab Tries to Stab Soldier


(IsraelNN.com) An Arab terrorist tried to stab a soldier with a knife at the Hawara checkpoint near Shechem Wednesday. The soldier was not hurt and other soldiers who were on the scene subdued the man and arrested him.

Just three days ago, a soldier was partially blinded when an Arab female terrorist sprayed acid at his face. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/153551

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Again, Hawara: Arab Tries to Stab Soldier at Checkpoint

24 Elul 5768, 24 September 08 08:30by Gil Ronen

(IsraelNN.com) An Arab terrorist arrived at the Hawara checkpoint south of Shechem Wednesday afternoon, approached a soldier and pulled out a knife with a 10 centimeter blade. The soldier cocked his weapon in response and the terrorist threw down the knife. He was then overpowered and arrested by other soldiers.

The terrorist is aged about 16. He has been transferred to the hands of security forces for interrogation.

Goggles and a pail of water
Soldiers at the Hawara checkpoint have been equipped with protective goggles following two recent attacks against them by Arab terrorists armed with acid. Wednesday's edition of Yisrael HaYom daily newspaper shows a photograph of two of the soldiers manning the checkpoint wearing the goggles.

In addition, the soldiers have been equipped with a pail of water and a blanket in case Arabs try to set the checkpoint on fire using fire bombs or other means.

Doctors are struggling to save the eye of a Golani soldier who was attacked with acid at the checkpoint on Monday this week. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127754


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