Palestinian girl, 13, shot dead after trying to stab Israeli guard

A 13-year-old Palestinian girl was reported to have attempted to stab a guard at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Almon (also known as Anatot), near Jerusalem, on Saturday morning.

Ruqayya’s father arrived at the scene after the incident and was arrested.

Luba Samri, a spokesperson for Israeli police, said she approached a gate leading to the settlement and ran at a security guard with a knife after he stopped her and asked for identification.

The security guard shot her and wounded her critically, and shortly thereafter emergency services pronounced her dead.

Israeli forces shot tear gas canisters at the protesters who set tires ablaze.

Israel Police said later that an initial investigation showed the girl, Roqaya Abu-Eid from the nearby village of Anata, had fought with her parents and stormed out the family home with the knife, declaring that she wanted to die. More than 100 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, while dozens of Israelis were killed in a series of shooting, stabbing and cars ramming attacks carried out by Palestinian youths. “Ruqayya is a small girl, how could she stab someone?”

According to Abu Rudeineh, Abbas said such a conference should aim to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

An Israeli soldier stands guard next to Palestinian workers who were transported out of the Tekoa settlement south of Jerusalem on January 18, 2016.

The latest settlement attacks further boosted tensions after months of unrest, raising fears of an escalation in violence as well as a harsh Israeli crackdown on Palestinians.

“At least 147 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, 102 of them identified by Israel as attackers”, the wire service writes.

More than 180 people have been killed – 155 of them Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed her remarks as “stupid” and “immoral”, but Frej said she had a valid point.

“Security measures have been taken following my orders”, he said.

The legality of Israeli settlements in occupied territory is a fundamental issue in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.