Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a North Jerusalem checkpoint near the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat last night killing one border policeman and wounding another. Multiple terrorists approached the checkpoint on foot, began firing at the border policemen and then fled the scene. The suspects have not yet been apprehended.

Panarama View of Shuafat from Pisgat Zeev	View of Shuafat Neighborhood from Pisgat Zeev

Rami Zoari, a 20 year old policeman from Beersheba, and a female officer were wounded by automatic weapon fire. When officers arrived to assist the two policemen who were under fire, Mr. Zoari could not be resuscitated. The female officer survived the attack and is in serious condition.

Shuafat is an Arab neighborhood in the northern section of Jerusalem. The Jewish neighborhoods of Pisgat Zeev and French Hill border the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat and are separated by a security barrier. Two border stations manned by Border Police control the flow of pedestrian and automobile traffic in and out of Shuafat. The gunmen attacked the northern pedestrian border station nearest to Pisgat Zeev.

Shuafat Border guards	Shuafat Crossing

I am a resident of Pisgat Zeev and my balcony overlooks the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat. The security barrier that separates Pisgat Zeev from Shuafat runs along the narrow valley below my home. At approximately 11 PM last night I heard gunfire and explosions followed by extensive helicopter traffic over our home. Shuafat residents routinely set off fireworks for special celebrations such as holidays and weddings, so I did not immediately react to the gunfire and explosions. Once the helicopters appeared and remained for the ensuing morning hours, we assumed something devastating had occurred. We learned early this morning that Officer Zoari had been murdered not 300 yards from my bedroom window.

Shuafat border crossing	Pedestrian Border crossing Shuafat

The photographs you see are taken from my balcony in Pisgat Zeev and from the Shuafat pedestrian crossing. The officers on duty this morning did not have authorization to speak with me about the shooting, but confirmed that there had indeed been a murder at the Shuafat crossing in the early morning hours.

Border police at Shuafat crossing	Security barrier separating Shuafat from Pisgat Zeev

Jerusalem is under heavy security this morning and military and police forces are searching for the gunmen. Members of the “Battalions of Struggle and Return” claimed responsibility for the attack. The Battalions of Struggle and Return are part of the Fatah terrorist network of which Mahmud Abbas is the current leader. Mahmud Abbas, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority in the “West Bank”, routinely claims that Fatah is not a terrorist organization and he is a frequent guest to the home of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. PM Olmert has cancelled this week’s conference with Chairman Abbas.