05 Feb 2018 | 08:32 PM UTC
Israel/Palestinian Territories: Stabbing attack kills Israeli near Ariel Feb. 5
Arab-Israeli stabbing attack kills Jewish-Israeli man outside Ariel settlement (West Bank) February 5; additional stabbing attacks possible in the coming weeks
Event
An Arab-Israeli man stabbed a Jewish-Israeli man near the Israeli settlement of Ariel (West Bank) on Monday, February 5, killing him. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the assailant stabbed the victim at a bus stop outside of Ariel and fled the scene after the attack; an associated manhunt is underway. No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Additional stabbing attacks are possible near Ariel and elsewhere in the West Bank in the coming weeks.
Context
Monday's stabbing attack comes after Israel retroactively authorized an illegal West Bank settlement on February 3.
A spike in tensions in Israel and the Palestinian Territories has also been observed in the wake of US President Donald Trump's December 2017 announcement that the US would officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a departure from the previous US and international position of neutrality on the status of the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians.
Advice
Individuals in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are advised to monitor developments to the situation and to avoid all demonstrations due to the risk of violence. A surge in anti-American and anti-Western sentiment has been recently observed in some areas; all travelers, and Westerners in particular, are advised to maintain a low profile (e.g. do not discuss sensitive topics, do not stop to take photographs of demonstrations, etc.) and avoid unnecessary movements in the event of unrest.
More generally, due to the underlying terrorist threat, travelers in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip 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, some Western governments advise their citizens against travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Israeli-Lebanese, Israeli-Syrian, and Israeli-Egyptian borders.
