Israel/Palestinian Territories: Attempted stabbing in West Bank July 20

Event

On Thursday, July 20, a Palestinian attacker was shot dead after attempting to stab Israeli soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint in Hebron. No soldiers were injured in the attack.

Context

Longstanding political and social tensions between Israelis and Palestinians contribute to frequent security incidents of varying severity. Nearly 300 Palestinians have been killed since a wave of violent street attacks began in 2015. Israel claims at least 180 of those killed were carrying out attacks, while the rest died in clashes and protests. In addition to these deaths, at least 45 Israelis, as well as American, British, Jordanian, Eritrean, and Sudanese nationals have been killed in Palestinian stabbings, shootings, and car-rammings.

Advice

Individuals in the area are advised to keep abreast of the situation and to avoid any public demonstrations due to the risk of violence.

More generally due to the ongoing terrorist threat, travelers are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, etc.). As a reminder, several Western governments