Palestinian driver hits Israeli youth near Ateret; army rules out terror

An Israeli civilian was injured on Thursday evening near Ateret, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, when a car driven by a Palestinian struck him. Initial reports described a ramming and suspected terrorism, but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson later said an initial inquiry had found the incident was not terror-related.

According to the military, the driver was handed over to security forces and the police opened an investigation into the circumstances. Emanuel Fabian, military correspondent for The Times of Israel, reported that a preliminary army investigation found settlers from an illegal outpost nearby had been trying to block Palestinian motorists, and that one Palestinian driver hit one of them while attempting to get away.

How the account changed over the evening

The first messages framed the event as a possible attack. The IDF spokesperson's initial notice said a ramming had been reported near Ateret, that details were being reviewed and that soldiers had been sent to the scene. The Hebrew news channel News.co.il initially described a ramming at the entrance to Ateret, said the driver had fled westward in a Mercedes and raised the suspicion of a terror incident.

A second IDF statement said soldiers and officers from the Judea and Samaria District Police had gone to the area, that the civilian had been lightly hurt and taken for treatment, and that troops were chasing the suspect and setting up roadblocks. Within roughly the same window, Israeli security officials were already assessing the case as a hit-and-run rather than an attack, according to The Times of Israel.

Later updates filled in the background. News.co.il reported that youths had blocked Palestinian vehicles and thrown stones at them, and that the driver of a white Mercedes struck one of them while trying to escape. Ynet reported that youths had been disrupting traffic in the Binyamin area, placed the collision at the Ateret junction on Route 465, and said the driver later turned himself in.

Where Ateret is, and who investigates

Ateret is an Israeli settlement in the Binyamin area of the West Bank, the region Hebrew outlets refer to by the name of its regional council, Mateh Binyamin. Route 465 is the road on which Ynet located the junction where the collision took place.

Judea and Samaria is the name Israeli authorities use for the West Bank, and the Judea and Samaria District is the Israel Police division responsible for it. In the West Bank the army and the police often respond together to security incidents, which is why both the IDF and police officers were sent to the scene. Once the military concluded there was no terror motive, the case was handled as a road incident under police investigation.

The term "illegal outpost" used in The Times of Israel's report refers to a settlement point built without Israeli government authorisation. The reports do not name the outpost involved.

Where the reports differ

The sources do not agree on how badly the Israeli was hurt. The IDF described the injury as light. The Times of Israel reported he was taken to hospital in light-to-moderate condition. The Israeli broadcaster N12 described him as moderately wounded.

They also differ on what the youths were doing. The Times of Israel and Ynet describe them blocking or disrupting traffic. News.co.il additionally reports that stones were thrown at Palestinian vehicles; the other outlets do not mention stone-throwing.

On the driver, Ynet says he surrendered himself, while the IDF says only that he was transferred to security forces. There is also an inconsistency in N12's relay of the final IDF update: its Hebrew post says the inquiry found the incident was not a traffic accident, while the IDF's own statement says it was not terror-related and refers to a police probe into the accident. The IDF statement is the primary source on that point.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports names the injured Israeli, gives his exact age or names the driver. They do not identify the outpost the youths came from or say how many people were blocking the road. No outlet reports whether the driver has been arrested or charged, or whether police are examining the conduct of those who blocked the road. There is no statement from the driver or from the injured man's family, and no account from Palestinian sources.