Israeli Police Rule Vehicle Death of Father, Son a Terrorist Act

Israeli police have ruled that contrary to initial reports, the death of a man and his 1-year old son in their car on Friday was an act of terror. Allegedly seeking to prevent vigilante acts, police had originally ruled the incident was an accident after the car rolled over near the Jewish community of Kiryat Arba in areas Israel acquired in the 1967 war. But police have confirmed that Asher Palmer and his son were the targets of rocks hurled into the vehicle. Palmer’s body revealed skull fractures and rocks were found inside the car. The attack came on the day Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas presented the Palestinian request for UN membership to the United Nations. Family members and friends were critical of the police for the initial cover-up, charging that it served the interest of the Palestinians. Israeli officials are satisfied with the cooperation between its forces and the Palestinian security services which have maintained control of demonstrations and prevented any attempts to infiltrate into Israel. Israeli security officials fear Jewish residents of the post-1967 areas will step up their own attacks on Arab families living nearby. Also on Friday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man during a confrontation between Israeli and Palestinian residents of a post-1967 area. Israeli security officials closed the border with Egypt at Taba to Israeli citizens because of fear of terrorist attacks. The Sinai Peninsula is a popular vacation spot for Israelis during religious holidays such as Rosh HaShana, which begins on Wednesday evening. Normally, a travel warning is issued, and normally, it’s ignored by thousands. This time officials are forbidding Israeli citizens to enter the area of a hotel and casino near Taba.