The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority blamed Israel for what they define as "the crime of execution carried out in Kfar Sebastia in the Nablus district". The Palestinian official was referring to an attempted terrorist attack, in which a resident of the PA-governed village attempted to run over Israel Defense Forces soldiers at a checkpoint near Sebastia. The soldiers signaled to the driver to stop, and after he sped up instead, they opened fire on him.
In a statement he published, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called for an international investigation into the "crime of execution" and to bring those responsible to justice. According to the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, "The shooting of the IDF soldiers is a result of the lenient instructions of the Israeli government to the IDF regarding the instructions to open fire on Palestinian residents, and treating them as shooting and training targets and killing them in cold blood."
a Palestinian-owned vehicle accelerated toward troops who were carrying out “proactive activity” in the village of Sebastia, close to Nablus.
— Rodriguez (@rodriguez02991) July 22, 2023
“The forces returned fire at the two suspects in the car,” the IDF said, calling the incident an attempted car-ramming attack.
The Palestinian Authority’s official message failed to report on the threat the deceased posed to the Israeli soldiers guarding the checkpoint, along with his refusal to stop and obey the instructions given to him, along with all who pass through any checkpoint.
Israel forces kill Palestinian accused of car ramming https://t.co/Ar8ub0DQe7
— Amiir Abbas (@AmiirAbbas3) July 22, 2023
The village, Sebastia, from which the man came, is named after the archaeological site nearby and the ruins of the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Israel. In recent years, the Palestinian Authority has been creating a new narrative on the historically significant site, claiming it to be a Palestinian Heritage site, while holding ceremonies there with international delegations. At the same time, while conducting illegal construction work near the ruins of the Israelite Castle, the PA workers took the time to desecrate the Jewish graves on site, by throwing pig carcasses inside the tombs.
A short while ago, a car ramming attempt occurred in the town of Sebastia.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 21, 2023
Forces responded with live fire towards the vehicle. The driver was neutralized, and the other suspect was injured and apprehended.
Based on all mentioned in the latter, the Israeli government most recently approved a large budget to help maintain and restore the ruins actively being destroyed by the Palestinian Authority.
According to the official Israeli government website in Hebrew, “32 million NIS will be allocated to make the site a center of attraction for visitors while restoring archaeological findings, building an access road, and building a sustainable model to finance the current expenses of the site. Also, areas that have not yet been exposed will be mapped and measures will be promoted to prevent damage to the national park, increase law enforcement in the area and prevent illegal construction.”
The Palestinian Authority has appealed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to denounce and take action to halt Israel's settlement project in Sebastia town, northwest of Nablus. pic.twitter.com/AB0EvZOdOe
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 10, 2023
Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman added: "We made a commitment and we are carrying it out. We will not allow our history to be erased. The proposal of the decision-makers is an important first step on the way to protecting the important site from Palestinian corruption. I hope that in a short time, we can open the site to the general public and make the story of the capital of the Kingdom of Israel accessible to them.”
