JERUSALEM (JTA) — Seven Palestinians from the West Bank village of Qusra were arrested in connection with an attack on Jewish children hiking in the West Bank.
The suspects were arrested early Monday. Some of the suspects are believed to have been involved in the actual incident and some for rioting following the attack. At least 20 other Qusra residents already have been arrested in connection with the attack.
On November 30, at least 30 Palestinian men surrounded the children and their parent escorts, who were on a hike in honor of one of the boy’s bar mitzvah, and started throwing rocks. An Israeli father escorting the hike, one of two carrying a gun, fired into the crowd to break it up, killing a Palestinian farmer.
The boys were ushered into a cave to keep them safe until Israeli security forces arrived, but they were harassed by the rioting Palestinians and some of their equipment was stolen.
Last week police announced that an investigation into the incident so far has shown that the children and their adult chaperones came under attack from residents of Qusra and that the father of one of the children was justified in firing his gun since they felt that their lives were threatened.
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