Human Rights Voices

While the UN devotes its human rights operations to the demonization of the democratic state of Israel above all others and condemns the United States more often than the vast majority of non-democracies around the world, the voices of real victims around the world must be heard.

Palestinian Authority/Gaza

Palestinian teen caught smuggling knife into Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs

Original source

Times of Israel

Border police arrested a Palestinian teen who tried to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the divided West Bank city of Hebron with a knife on Sunday.

At a checkpoint outside the holy site, Border Police officers noticed the 17-year-old Hebron resident was trying to hide an object under his shirt, police said.

Even after the officers asked the youth to turn out his pockets, he continued to try and hide the knife, police said.

Upon searching him, police uncovered the knife and detained the teen for further questioning.

Police said they face "determined efforts" to bring weapons into the holy site and carry out attacks.

A similar incident occurred earlier this month when Border Police caught another Palestinian teen trying to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs with a knife hidden in his sock.

Last month, Border Police held an unarmed Palestinian teen at a checkpoint outside of the same holy site after the 16-year-old girl told officers that she wanted to attack people. A police spokeswoman said that the officers did not believe the teen was actually planning on injuring others and that her distress appeared to have been the result of troubles at home.

Several incidents of Palestinian teens attacking Israeli soldiers in the past have been linked to domestic or psychological problems on the part of the assailant.

The flashpoint city of Hebron, where Palestinians live in close proximity to settlers who are guarded by Israeli troops, has been the scene of numerous stabbings and attempted stabbings since a wave of attacks carried out by Palestinians began in October 2015.