Policeman shot, wounded in east J'lem
Officer sustains light injury to hand after being fired on in Ras al-Amud neighborhood. Security forces combing area in bid to locate shooter
Live fire at the end of the "day of rage ." An Israeli policeman was lightly wounded Tuesday after being shot at in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. The man, who sustained a mild hand injury, was evacuated to the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital for medical attention.
Medical staff at the hospital reported that the officer arrived with a superficial wound and would likely need to undergo surgery.
Security forces were searching for area for the shooter. The scene of the incident was closed off.
Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen visited the policeman in hospital. Cohen encouraged the officer and told him he had acted properly.
Earlier, Cohen visited the scene of the shooting where he received a briefing on the event's details from Jerusalem District Commander Aharon Franco. "This is a very serious incident, and we will spare no efforts to find the perpetrators," said Cohen.
The shooting incident comes at the end of the "day of rage" declared by the Palestinians living in east Jerusalem that was marred by violence. According to Palestinian reports, more than 100 people were injured in the riots and close to 70 were arrested.
Throughout the day, disturbances also were noted in Issawiya where Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police and Border Guard forces, at the Shufat Refugee Camp, and at Atarot checkpoint, where riots were already underway on Monday.
A young man was arrested earlier in Ras al-Amud on suspicions of throwing stones at the security forces deployed in the area. Five others were arrested near Jabel Mukaber. Clashes also broke out in Naalin, west of Ramallah, in which four people were wounded. Overall, 14 police officers have been wounded on Tuesday, all of them with mild injuries.
Earlier, the police detained three left-wing activists at the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus on suspicions of incitement after a brawl broke out between them and right-wing activists on the site.
Fatah's military wing, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, announced Tuesday that it demands the Palestinian leadership allow it to return to the armed struggle against Israel. The group also demanded that the terrorists arrested by Palestinian security forces be released.
