Killing of Sergeant Almog Shiloni

Sergeant Almog Shiloni of the Israel Defense Forces was killed on 10 November 2014 after he was stabbed multiple times at Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station. He died in hospital from his wounds. Shiloni was off-duty, but in uniform and armed at the time.[1][2][3][4]

The attack was one of a spate of attacks on Israelis during 2014 often cited as a series, and sometimes regarded as an incipient intifada.[5][6][7]

Attack

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Shiloni, aged 20, from Modi'in, was stabbed at the Haganah Railway Station in southern Tel Aviv, after a struggle with a Palestinian who attempted to grab his rifle.[8][9][10] Passerby Gilad Goldman intervened, attacking the assailant and stopping him from grabbing the rifle.[11] Shiloni was on the phone with his girlfriend when he was attacked and stabbed in the stomach and chest several times.[12][13] Shiloni sustained massive blood loss and succumbed to his wounds at the Tel HaShomer Medical Center in Ramat Gan.[14][15][16] A bystander punched the attacker.[17] The attacker was chased and eventually taken into custody by Israeli police.[18][19][20]

Nur al-Din Abu Khashiyeh was indicted on charges of entering Israel illegally on 9 November, the day before the attack, and of having intended to kill Shiloni, take his gun, and use the weapon to kill more Jews.[21] Some days after the attack, the suspect walked with police investigators along the route he took on the day of the attack, showing them where he purchased a knife in a flea market, and the route to the site of the murder.[4] The attack was referenced in news reports as part of a series of attacks on Israelis, that, following years of relative calm, included the murder of Shelly Dadon in May, the June kidnapping and murder of 3 teenage boys, a vehicular attack in August, another vehicle attack in October and a third in November, the attempted assassination of an Israeli political activist, a combined ramming/stabbing attack that took place on the same day as Shiloni's murder, and a massacre in a synagogue November 18 in Jerusalem.[22]

Victim

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Shiloni was serving in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion; he was a graduate of the Battalion's first Platoon Commanders' Course, and served in the Battalion's Negev Defenders' section.[23] He was a member of a Nahal Haredi נחל החרדי unit.[24][25]

Shiloni had a twin brother, Sahar.[26][27][28] Over 1,000 people attended Almog Shiloni's funeral at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery.[29][30]

Perpetrator

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The perpetrator, was 18-year-old Nur al-Din Abu Khashiyeh, a resident of Askar refugee camp in the West Bank and an illegal immigrant to Israel from the Palestinian territories. Described by a witness as a "big man,"[31] Khashiyeh had been working "for months" on a Tel Aviv construction project near the scene[32] of the killing.[4][19][33][34][35] He was captured after bystanders directed police to a nearby apartment building where he was hiding; he was transferred to the Shin Bet security services for interrogation.[26][36]

According to the text of the indictment, the attacker entered Israel intending to kill a soldier so that he could "become a martyr."[11][37]

He was sentenced to life in prison.

Reaction

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Husam Badran, a senior Hamas leader based in Doha, Qatar, lauded the attack saying "(It) is part of a welcome plan that reflects the tenacity of our people to resist the occupation and move against the crimes (committed) in al-Aqsa and in Jerusalem."[38] Islamic Jihad also lauded the attack.[39]

According to CNN, the attack came "amid simmering tensions... between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas".[40] According to The New York Times, the attack, which followed a series of Palestinian riots and attacks, "shook Israelis’ sense of security and heightened concern about a new Palestinian intifada".[19]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately convened the Security Cabinet, ordering some troops to switch from training maneuvers to active duty protecting roads from rioters and "terrorists".[41][42][43] In it, he accused Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of inciting Palestinian and Israeli Arabs by spreading lies.[44]

The stabbing prompted calls to crack down on illegal immigration from the Palestinian Authority to Israel.[45][46] MK Moti Yogev called on the government to prevent illegal Arab migrants from receiving work permits, and to pass a bill monitoring employers and punishing them if they hire illegal immigrant workers.[47]

The United States condemned the stabbing.[48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Palestinian stabs Israeli soldier as tensions hit Tel Aviv". Times of India. 10 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  2. ^ Tate, Robert (10 November 2014). "Israeli soldier stabbed in suspected Palestinian attack in Tel Aviv". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  3. ^ Mitnik, Joshua (10 November 2014). "Israeli Soldier Stabbed in Suspected Terror Attack in Tel Aviv". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Kubovich, yaniv (19 November 2014). "Suspect in Israeli soldier's stabbing retraces his actions for police". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  5. ^ "UN condemns 'despicable' attack in Jerusalem". Times of Israel. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  6. ^ Pfeffer, Anshel (18 November 2014). "Attack on worshipers in synagogue sets deadly precedent". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  7. ^ Pfeffer, Anshel (17 November 2014). "Why this is not a Third Intifada". Haaretz. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Palestinian attackers kill 2 Israelis". Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  9. ^ Emergui, Sal (10 November 2014). "Dos israeles muertos en dos ataques palestinos en Tel Aviv y Cisjordania". El Mundo (in Spanish).
  10. ^ "Israeli soldier dies of injuries after Palestinian stabbing attack". xinhuanet. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014.
  11. ^ a b Weiner, Stuart (24 November 2014). "Killer of IDF soldier Almog Shiloni indicted". Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Två döda i terroristattacker i Tel Aviv och Alon Shvut". Israels Ambassad (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  13. ^ Robert Tate (10 November 2014). "Israeli woman, 25, and soldier killed in twin stabbing attacks". The Telegraph.
  14. ^ "Soldier stabbed in Tel Aviv terror attack dies - Israel". Jewish Journal. 10 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Almog Shiloni, 20 ans, poignardé à Tel Aviv succombe à ses blessures". Tribune Juive (in French). 11 November 2014.
  16. ^ Smolar, Piotr (10 November 2014). "La vague de violences en Israël prend de l'ampleur". Le Monde (in French).
  17. ^ Chabin, Michele (10 November 2014). "Two stabbing attacks in Israel, West Bank; 2 dead". USA TODAY. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  18. ^ Hay, Shahar (10 November 2014). "Soldier hurt Tel Aviv stabbing attack succumbs to wounds". Ynetnews. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Rudoren, Jodi (10 November 2014). "Two Israelis Die in Separate Stabbings by Palestinians". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  20. ^ Carter, Chelsea. "Shattered glass, lifeless bodies". CNN. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  21. ^ "Indictment Filed Against Terrorist Who Murdered Almog Shiloni". Arutz Sheva. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  22. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (18 November 2014). "Jerusalem attacks pose new challenges for Israeli security forces". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  23. ^ Ben Porat, Ido (11 November 2014). "Almog Shiloni was a graduate of the first Platoon Commanders' Course of the Nahal Hareidi battalion". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  24. ^ Speyer, Lea (11 November 2014). "My Personal Connection with Yesterday's Fallen Hero, IDF Soldier Almog Shiloni (Video)". Breaking Israel News. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  25. ^ "Sgt. Almog Shilony killed in terror attack". Israel Defense Forces. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  26. ^ a b Kubovich, Yaniv (10 November 2014). "Israeli soldier dies after stabbed in Tel Aviv terror attack Police capture suspect, a Palestinian resident of Nablus". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  27. ^ Winer, Stuart (10 November 2014). "IDF soldier stabbed in Tel Aviv attack dies of wounds". Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  28. ^ Winer, Stuart (11 November 2014). "'I have half a broken heart' says twin brother of slain soldier at funeral". Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  29. ^ "Girlfriend of Slain IDF Soldier: 'We Wanted to Get Married' (Video)". Algemeiner.
  30. ^ "Twin of slain soldier Almog Shiloni at his brother's funeral: My heart is broken in half". The Canadian Jewish News. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  31. ^ "Knife Attacks Kill Israeli Woman And Soldier". Sky News.
  32. ^ Frenkel, Sheera (18 November 2014). "What Makes Someone Become A Lone-Wolf Killer?". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  33. ^ Rudoren, Jodi (10 November 2014). "Palestinians Are Suspected as 2 Israelis Die in Knife Attacks". New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  34. ^ "Israeli woman and soldier killed in two knife attacks". BBC News. 10 November 2014.
  35. ^ Ayestaran, Mikel (11 November 2014). "El miedo se dispara entre los judíos". La Rioja (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 December 2014.
  36. ^ "Assailants kill 1, wound 3 in Israel and West Bank". San Francisco Chronicle. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  37. ^ Bob, Yonah Jeremy (24 November 2014). "State charges Palestinian with stabbing of IDF soldier at Tel Aviv train station". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  38. ^ Winer, Stuart (10 November 2014). "Hamas lauds Tel Aviv terror attack". Times of Israel. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  39. ^ "Tel Aviv ve Bat eria'daki bakl saldrlar". HRRYET - TRKYE'NN AILI SAYFASI (in Turkish). 12 November 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  40. ^ Levs, Josh (10 November 2014). "2 killed, 2 wounded in stabbing attacks on Israelis". CNN. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  41. ^ Revid, Barak (10 November 2014). "Netanyahu orders security heads to take extra steps in wake of deadly attacks". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  42. ^ Ravid, Barak (11 November 2014). "Israel's security cabinet to convene to discuss growing unrest". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  43. ^ Lazaroff, Tovah (11 November 2014). "Netanyahu orders defense chiefs to push forward plans to demolish Palestinian terrorists' houses". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  44. ^ Winer, Stuart (11 November 2014). "Netanyahu accuses Abbas of fueling tensions, spreading lies". Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  45. ^ Harel, Amos (10 November 2014). "Israel must crack down on illegal Palestinian workers, before it's too late". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  46. ^ Gordon, Hilda (20 November 2014). "Be Silent Not For Slaughter". The Jewish Press. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  47. ^ Dovin, Tova (11 November 2014). "MKs Fume, Demand 'Deterrence' After Tel Aviv Stabbing Attack". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  48. ^ "Abatido el palestino que mató a una israelí en Cisjordania". Mundo (in Spanish). 14 November 2010.