Call it a post-Purim miracle: A resident of the town of Ateret in the Binyamin region “subdued” two Arab rock attackers when they attempted to throw rocks at his vehicle, by stopping his car, getting out, and drawing his pistol. Instead of attempting to escape, as teenage rock throwers usually do when confronted in this manner, the two Arab youths raised their hands in surrender – and were promptly arrested by IDF troops patrolling in the area.
The incident occurred Sunday when the Israeli said that he realized he was about to be attacked. Speaking to the NRG news site, the Israeli said that “I saw them pick up their hands and get ready to throw, and I instinctively stopped the car and got out. They started running, and I yelled out to them in Arabic to stop – and after about 100 meters, they did so, without my having to fire a shot. I was afraid that they were planning to stab or attack me, but they just put their hands in the air. Five minutes later, the army came and arrested them,” the driver said.
IDF troops questioned them briefly and transferred them over to police custody for further action. In a statement, the IDF said that “two Palestinians were arrested by a resident of Ateret when they threw stones at his vehicle.
“The Israeli chased the two rock-throwers, arrested them and alerted the army. The two have been arrested, and their case has been transferred to the police prosecutor’s office for further action.”
The incident occurred on Road 465 between Ateret and Neve Tzuf, which has been the scene of numerous rock-throwing incidents in recent weeks.
Israeli residents of the area recently established their own patrols to help stem attacks, which have included rock-throwing, as well as shooting attacks, and attempts by Arabs to infiltrate the Jewish towns in the area. Several weeks ago, IDF troops arrested an Arab gang that was responsible for several shooting attacks in the area.