Time: Yesterday (Monday) evening, 6:50 PM.
Location: Chawara IDF Checkpoint, Road 60
IDF Unit: Nachal Brigade
Situation: Routine checks on Palestinian population for weapons.
The following is based on a radio interview this morning on IDF radio (Galei Tzahal) between the checkpoint commander and Radio interviewer, Razi Barkai.
The checkpoint commander is a 22 year old officer from the Nachal Brigade -- his unit took over the checkpoint for the first time yesterday. Corporal Michal Ya'akov, from the IDF military police is also assigned to the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander said the following incident lasted 8 seconds.
Start your clock now
A "16 year old" (that's about how old he looked) Palestinian approaches the IDF checkpoint.
1 second
Michal notices "he seems very nervous...was looking from side to side....his shirt looked bulky."
2 seconds
He goes through the metal detector and it beeps. Michal asks what is under his shirt.
3 seconds
He raises his shirt, displaying 3 pipe bombs strapped to it.
4 seconds
Michal yells out, "Explosives in the Checkpoint", and all soldiers immediately follow the protocol for a terrorist at the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander, about 10 feet away, instinctively chambers a round into his M16 and aims it at the youth's head.
5 seconds
Michal yells at the Palestinian youth to keep his hands high over his head.
6 seconds
His hands waver.
7 seconds
He lowers his hands towards the pipe bombs strapped to his chest.
The checkpoint commander fires, shooting the terrorist directly in the head.
8 seconds
The terrorist starts to fall to the ground, with his hands still reaching for the pipe bomb. Checkpoint commander fires another 3 rounds into the terrorist's head -- taking special care not to shoot at the body of the terrorist, but only the head, to prevent the pipe bombs from exploding.
Final Result; One Dead Terrorist. No injuries to IDF soldiers. No terror attack against Israelis.
Eight Seconds; it could have ended very differently.
For an article with slightly less accuracy than the above post (based directly on the radio interview with the checkpoint commander), here's the way YNET reported it.
Location: Chawara IDF Checkpoint, Road 60
IDF Unit: Nachal Brigade
Situation: Routine checks on Palestinian population for weapons.
The following is based on a radio interview this morning on IDF radio (Galei Tzahal) between the checkpoint commander and Radio interviewer, Razi Barkai.
The checkpoint commander is a 22 year old officer from the Nachal Brigade -- his unit took over the checkpoint for the first time yesterday. Corporal Michal Ya'akov, from the IDF military police is also assigned to the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander said the following incident lasted 8 seconds.
Start your clock now
A "16 year old" (that's about how old he looked) Palestinian approaches the IDF checkpoint.
1 second
Michal notices "he seems very nervous...was looking from side to side....his shirt looked bulky."
2 seconds
He goes through the metal detector and it beeps. Michal asks what is under his shirt.
3 seconds
He raises his shirt, displaying 3 pipe bombs strapped to it.
4 seconds
Michal yells out, "Explosives in the Checkpoint", and all soldiers immediately follow the protocol for a terrorist at the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander, about 10 feet away, instinctively chambers a round into his M16 and aims it at the youth's head.
5 seconds
Michal yells at the Palestinian youth to keep his hands high over his head.
6 seconds
His hands waver.
7 seconds
He lowers his hands towards the pipe bombs strapped to his chest.
The checkpoint commander fires, shooting the terrorist directly in the head.
8 seconds
The terrorist starts to fall to the ground, with his hands still reaching for the pipe bomb. Checkpoint commander fires another 3 rounds into the terrorist's head -- taking special care not to shoot at the body of the terrorist, but only the head, to prevent the pipe bombs from exploding.
Final Result; One Dead Terrorist. No injuries to IDF soldiers. No terror attack against Israelis.
Eight Seconds; it could have ended very differently.
For an article with slightly less accuracy than the above post (based directly on the radio interview with the checkpoint commander), here's the way YNET reported it.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
