This morning, four people were killed and six were seriously injured after a pair of Palestinian militants attacked Kehillat Bnei Torah synagogue in the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof. The attackers, cousins Ghassan and Oday Abu Jamal, reportedly stormed the synagogue with meat cleavers and a gun during morning prayers. Police responded within minutes, fatally shooting both men. A small militant group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, confirmed the Abu Jamal cousins were members of the organization and praised the attack as a “heroic operation,” but did not claim responsibility. Hamas also praised the attack as their supporters celebrated in the streets of the other Palestinian territory of Gaza.
According to authorities, three of the murdered victims were dual Israeli-American citizens Aryeh Kupinski, Cary William Levine and Mosheh Tweksy. The other deceased victim was British-Israeli citizen Avraham Goldberg. All four were rabbis. There were approximately 25 people in the synagogue for prayers at the time of the incident.
MSA's Research and Intelligence Analysis (RIA) Group has been monitoring this situation closely and has identified the following implications:
This most recent attack comes amid increased tensions over access to the holy site, referred to as Temple Mount by Jews and the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims, which has led to protests and violence in the area. Furthermore, the incident comes on the heels of the summer conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza over the killings of three Israeli teenagers and the retaliatory murder of a Palestinian teen in the West Bank. Although Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the synagogue attack, he also called for an end to Israeli “provocations” with regard to the holy site. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also made a statement, vowing to “respond with a heavy hand.” The attackers’ home was later demolished, and there are reports that several of their family members were arrested. The action sparked clashes between residents of the East Jerusalem neighborhood and Israeli security forces.
Over the past few weeks, there has been an uptick in terror attacks in Jerusalem, culminating in today’s incident, which is the city’s deadliest since eight Jewish students were killed by Palestinian militants in 2008. Similar to the spate of stabbings and vehicle attacks in recent weeks, this incident was likely carried out by lone-wolf militants, despite their affiliation with a formal group. Today’s attack has already sparked clashes with police and is likely to further fuel tensions between the two sides. There is speculation that the violence may be the beginning of a new Palestinian uprising, which could lead to additional attacks. While religious sites are particularly vulnerable, other attractive targets for terrorists include public transportation, busy streets and markets. In the near-term, travelers to Israel should exercise caution as there is a strong potential for further violence.
