Human Rights Voices

Two security officers and a border policeman were murdered Tuesday morning in a suspected terror attack in the town of Har Adar outside Jerusalem. Another Israeli was badly wounded.

According to the Border Police, the Palestinian assailant approached the town's gate posing as a laborer. When the officers manning the gate grew suspicious of him because of his unusual clothing, he pulled out his weapon and opened fire. After an exchange of gunfire, the assailant was shot dead, but not before fatally injuring three people and severely wounding one more.

Israeli media identified the attacker as 37-year-old Nimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal a father of four from the Palestinian village of Beit Surik. The man is said to have a valid work permit allowing him to enter Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

It is not currently known if the assailant belonged to a terrorist organization, but Hamas has praised the attack and called for others to carry out similar ones.

Har Adar Resident Drora Bardizchev, who had employed Jabbar in her home, said in an interview to Channel 10 News that she was shocked by the attack. She said she had enjoyed a very good relationship with him, often spending time alone with him in the house and drinking coffee together during breaks. She said the man, whom she referred to as Nimer, had been under stress in recent months due to a domestic dispute with his estranged wife.

The Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) issued a statement saying Jabbar had significant personal and family problems, including a history of domestic violence. The statement added that his wife had fled to Jordan several weeks ago, leaving him to care for their four children.

The IDF Spokespersons Unit released a Facebook post that Jabbar had written to his wife, in which he stated that his actions were unrelated to their relationship. In the post, which was published on Facebook on Monday, he wrote that he was to blame for their poor relationship due to jealousy and stupidity and that she should care and educate their children according to the teachings of god.

The injured Israeli, the town's security chief, was rushed to hospital for treatment.

The attacker's home village, located about a kilometer away from Har Adar, has been placed under a military closure.

One of the victims murdered was identified as border police officer First Sergeant Salomon Gabaria (20) from Be'er Yaakov. Yossef Otman from Abu Gosh and Or Arish (25) from Har Adar were identified as the slain security guards.

Israel's police superintendent Roni Alsheich said the actions of the security officers prevented a far more serious outcome.

Moshir Abu Katish, a Muslim volunteer EMT with United Hatzalah, was one of the first responders on the scene. He lives in the neighboring Arab-Israeli town of Abu Gosh.

"I raced over to the scene which took place near the fence of Har Adar. Security forces had shot and killed the terrorist who had carried out a shooting attack against a group of Israelis," Abu Katish said. "I ran to treat the injured people who were suffering from gunshot wounds to their upper bodies. Unfortunately, the three more seriously injured people in the attack were pronounced dead at the scene. We treated a fourth person who was injured at the scene before he was transported to the hospital for further treatment and observation."

Dov Baksht, the commander of the Zaka rescue and recovery organization, who was at the scene of the terror attack, said, "This is a very difficult attack - a terrorist opened fire at close range on four Israelis. The outcome is very bad, with three Israelis killed and the body of the terrorist. The ZAKA team at the scene has three ambulances to evacuate the murdered victims and ZAKA volunteers are working to collect the remains." Baksht added, "The forensics teams from the Israel Police are currently working on the scene. We are waiting until they have completed their work and then we will enter the scene once again to complete our sacred work."

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman condemned the attack and vowed to hunt down the terrorists and those who sent them out to kill Israelis. Liberman stressed that there is no difference between Palestinian fueled terror and fundamentalist Islamic terror in Europe. He added that before there could even be talk of negotiations, the world must demand the Palestinian Authority to cease its inciting ways.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin responded to the attack, saying the nation's hearts are with the families of the victims. "The brutal terror attack exposes once again the daily reality that Israeli security forces, who are on the front lines, have to deal with," said Rivlin. "We will continue to confront terror and put our hands on the attackers and their backers."

Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan said there were no prior indications about the assailant's deadly motivations. He placed responsibility for the attack at the feet of the Palestinian Authority, which he said encourages terror with its policy of handing out stipends to terrorists and their family members.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely called the attack "The Palestinians' welcome greeting to American envoy Jason Greenblatt." She said the Americans must focus all their attention on ending the murderous Palestinian terror efforts and that any negotiations with them are futile as long as they continue to incite to terror.

Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay called on the government to act "with an iron fist" against terrorists whose sole purpose is to harm Jews. "Har Adar is a community that for years exemplified coexistence between Jews and Arabs. This attack is a severe blow to the relations between the two communities," said Gabbay.

Joint List MK Yousef Jabarin blamed the policy of the Israeli government for the attack. "The far right Israeli government is responsible for the bloody circle of violence and the conflict's enshrinement," he said. "There is no such thing as an enlightened occupation. There is no occupation without resistance."

In July, three Jewish family members were killed when a Palestinian terrorist entered the west Bank Settlement of Halamish and stabbed them while they were sitting down for Shabbat dinner. The terrorist in that incident was incapacitated by a neighbor, a soldier who was home on leave.