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Breaking: Palestinian Terrorists Murder Two Israeli Police Officers in Shooting Attack on Temple Mount

Site shut down for prayer for only the third time since 1967

by
Liel Leibovitz
July 14, 2017
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images

Earlier this morning, three Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Temple Mount in Jerusalem, killing two Israeli police officers before being shot and killed themselves. The three are Israeli-Arab cousins from the city of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel. All three shared the same name, Muhammad Jabarin.

Several minutes before the attack, two of the terrorists posted a selfie to Facebook, taken with the Dome of the Rock in the background, with the caption “Our smiles are about to be the most beautiful, with the help of Allah.” They then approached a small force of Israeli police officers and opened fire, killing Hayil Stawi and Kamil Shnan, both Israeli Druze.

Last month, another Israeli officer, 23-year-old Hadas Malka, was stabbed to death in a similar coordinated attack by three Palestinian terrorists near the Old City’s Damascus Gate.

As a result of the attack, the compound, sacred to both Jews and Muslim, was shut down for Muslim prayers, only the third time in 50 years that such a measure was taken. Jews are still not permitted to pray on Temple Mount.

Liel Leibovitz is editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and a host of its weekly culture podcast Unorthodox and daily Talmud podcast Take One. He is the editor of Zionism: The Tablet Guide.