Murder of Dalia Lemkus

Murder of Dalia Lemkus
Alon Shvut Alon Shvut (the West Bank) Show map of the West Bank Alon Shvut Alon Shvut (Israel) Show map of Israel
Location	Alon Shvut November 10, 2014;9 years ago (2014-11-10)
Date	November 10, 2014;9 years ago (2014-11-10)
Attack type	Vehicle-ramming attack, stabbing
Weapon	Knife, vehicle
Deaths	Dalia Lemkus
Injured	2
Perpetrator	Maher al-Hashlamun

The 2014 Alon Shvut stabbing attack occurred on 10 November 2014, when Palestinian Maher al-Hashlamun first attempted to run his vehicle into a crowd waiting at the bus/hitch-hiking station at the entrance to the Israeli settlement of Alon Shvut, in the Gush Etzion section of the occupied West Bank, then, when the car was stopped by a bollard, got out and attacked with a knife, killing a young woman and wounding two others. The attack occurred four hours after the killing of Sergeant Almog Shiloni in Tel Aviv and took place at the same bus/hitch-hiking stop where three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and murdered in June 2014. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Attack

The attacker, Maher al-Hashlamun, first attempted to ram his vehicle into the crowd at the bus stop, ramming his car into the bus shelter and bollards and only abandoning it to attack the crowd with a knife when he found the way blocked by concrete bollards. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

Al-Hashlamun was shot in the chest by a security guard, and was taken to Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem. ^{[9] [10]} He later died from his wounds. ^[11]

Victims

Dalia Lemkus (Hebrew : דליה למקוס), 26, a resident of Tekoa, was seriously wounded but attempts to resuscitate her failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene. She had recently finished her university degree in occupational therapy. ^[12] Lemkus had been a victim of violence before. ^[13]

In a February 2006 attack that The Jewish Press described as "eerily similar", Lemkus was stabbed while waiting at a hitchhiking station at the Gush Etzion Junction. ^{[14] [15]} She had continued taking rides at the official hitching posts which are built in areas where public transit is scarce, regarding it as an act of defiance against terrorism. She had been known to say, “You think I’m going to let them beat me?" ^[16] She was buried in Tekoa. ^[17]

A man in his mid-20s was stabbed in the stomach, suffering light-to-moderate wounds, and was taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem. A second man in his 50s was lightly wounded, suffering from stab wounds to the jaw, and was taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, also in Jerusalem. ^[18]

Perpetrator

The assailant, resident of Hebron, is a member of Islamic Jihad. He was jailed in Israel from 2000-2005 after he was convicted of throwing Molotov cocktails at an IDF patrol. ^{[19] [18]}

Perpetrator was sentenced to serve 2 life sentences. ^[20]

Political context

According to CNN, the attack comes "amid a new round of infighting between Palestinian factions". ^{[21] [22]} Daniel Nisman told The Wall Street Journal the attacks were not centrally coordinated, but, rather, inspired by weeks of social media propaganda by Palestinian groups praising recent individuals who attacked Israelis and calling on Palestinians to replicate those attacks. According to Nisman, these are often copycat attacks, replicating recent incidents, but "They're not ordered. They spontaneous." ^[23]

Impact

Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately convened the security cabinet, ordering some troops to switch from training maneuvers to active duty protecting roads from rioters and terrorists. ^{[24] [25]}

See also

• 2014 Jerusalem tractor attack
• October 2014 Jerusalem vehicular attack
• November 2014 Jerusalem vehicular attack
• Assassination attempt of Yehuda Glick
• Silent Intifada
• 2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack, another combined car ramming and stabbing attack
• Ohio State University attack, another combined car ramming and stabbing attack

References

1. Solomon, Meir (18 November 2014). "Memorial Day". Hamodia. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
2. "רשמת ההוצאה לפועל: הרשות הפלשתינית תחויב לפצות הורים שבתם נרצחה בפיגוע טרור | ישראל היום". www.israelhayom.co.il. 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
3. "סליחה דליה אחותי". www.inn.co.il. 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
4. "תקדים: כספי הרש"פ יעוקלו לטובת פיצוי מהמחבל". 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
5. Tait, Robert (10 November 2014). "Israeli woman, 25, and soldier killed in twin stabbing attacks - Incidents happen hours apart, suggesting an escalation of recent violence". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
6. Beaumont, Peter (10 November 2014). "Israeli woman and soldier killed in Palestinian stabbings". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
7. "Israeli woman and soldier killed in two knife attacks". BBC. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
8. Harman, Danna (11 November 2011). "Family and friends bid disbelieving goodbye to terror victim Dalia Lemkus". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
9. AP (10 November 2014). "Assailants kill 1, wound 3 in Israel and West Bank". Washington Post. AP. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
10. Rudoren Jodi (10 November 2014). "Two Israelis Die in Separate Stabbings by Palestinians". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
11. Robert Tait (10 November 2014). "Israeli woman, 25, and soldier killed in twin stabbing attacks". The Telegraph.
12. Mandell, Sherri (11 November 2014). "What they didn't tell you about Dahlia". Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
13. Blumental, Itay; Efraim, Omri (2014-11-10). "Dalia Lemkus survived 2006 attack, but was murdered in another stabbing". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
14. Berman, Laxar (10 November 2014). "Young woman killed in West Bank stabbing attack". Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
15. "For Alon Shvut Terror Victim , this was Second Terror Stabbing". Jewish Press. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
16. Newman, Marissa (11 November 2014). "At funeral of slain woman, sister urges hitchhikers not to stop". Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
17. Harman, Dana (11 November 2014). "Family and friends bid disbelieving goodbye to terror victim Dalia Lemkus". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
18. Noam (Dabul) Dvir, Yoav Zitun (10 November 2014). Palestinian stabs three Israelis near Alon Shvut, one dead. ynetnews (Yedioth Ahronoth).
19. BBC News (10 November 2014). Israeli woman and soldier killed in two knife attacks
20. Bob, Yonah (26 March 2015). "Dalya Lemkus' terrorist murderer sentenced to 2 life prison terms". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
21. Levs, Josh (10 November 2014). "2 killed, 2 wounded in stabbing attacks on Israelis". CNN. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
22. Levs, Josh (10 November 2014). "Fatah cancels Arafat memorials after bombings, blames Hamas". CNN. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
23. Mitnick, Joshua (10 November 2014). "Israeli Soldier Stabbed in Suspected Terror Attack in Tel Aviv". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
24. Revid, Barak (10 November 2014). "Netanyahu orders security heads to take extra steps in wake of deadly terror attacks". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
25. Ravid, Barak (11 November 2014). "Israel's security cabinet to convene to discuss growing unrest". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 November 2014.