Israeli police confirmed shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday of local time that a Palestinian tractor driver attacked several cars, a bus and pedestrians on downtown Jerusalem's Yafo Road. the bulldozer driver was killed by police who are describing the incident as a terrorist attack.
According to first reports, two people were killed, eight people seriously hurt and 31 lightly hurt when the driver plowed into everything moving in front of him. A policeman reportedly shot the terrorist to death.
The tractor-bulldozer belongs to a contracting firm hired to prepare the road for a light rail system.
Emergency phone number for English-speakers
Following Wednesday's early afternoon terrorist attack in Jerusalem an emergency phone number has been installed to assist non-Hebrew speakers in English and French: 125 508 1010.
Witnesses reported a scene of chaos and panic as the bulldozer plowed through cars, knocked over a bus and damaged buildings on a busy downtown street near the city's main bus station.
The driver of the bulldozer was shot by police. They say no motive is known in what police are describing as a terrorist attack.
"The employee of a contractor company working on the street here in Jerusalem directed his bulldozer in the direction of civilian vehicles - a bus and cars that are on the street all the time yelling Allah al-akbar, apparent to us based on things we have experienced in the past,' said Daniel Seaman, a spokesman for the Israeli government. "This is undeniably a terrorist attack."
Police say the attacker was a Palestinian who lived in East Jerusalem who held Jerusalem identity papers. Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem have access to Jewish West Jerusalem and carry out nearly all construction work in the city.
In March, another Palestinian from East Jerusalem attacked a Jewish seminary not far from where today's incident took place, killing eight students.
Sources: This reported is prepared by written materials from Radio Israel Reka and VOA News. VOA's Jim Teeple reported from Jerusalem
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#1 Jerusalem How Desperate
I find this to be a totally desperate and cruel act from all perspectives.
While I understand the soldier's cold blooded execution of the bulldozer driver, which was a response the the bulldozer driver's terror and killing for other people, I also understand the desperation of the Palestinian people.
Violence begits violence. People have to make concessions so there is lasting peace and no one else suffers like these people today. It's not worth it.