Ein 'Arik checkpoint attack
{{Short description|Attack on an IDF checkpoint during the second intifada}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{infobox military conflict
| conflict = Ein 'Arik ambush
| partof = Second Intifada
| image =
| caption =
| date = 19 February 2002
| place = Ein 'Arik, West Bank, Palestinian territories
| coordinates =
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| latitude =
| longitude =
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| result = Palestinian victory
| status =
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|Israel|tsahal}} Israel Defense Forces
| combatant2 = {{armed forces|Fatah}}
| combatant3 =
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Israel|tsahal}} Lt. Moshe Eini {{KIA}}
| commander2 = Unknown
| commander3 =
| units1 =
| units2 =
| units3 =
| strength1 = {{flagicon|Israel|tsahal}} 8 soldiers
| strength2 = 2 militants
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| casualties1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Israel Police V2.svg}} 1 police officer killed
{{flagicon|Israel|tsahal}} 5 soldiers killed
{{flagicon|Israel|tsahal}} 1 soldier wounded
| casualties2 = None
| casualties3 = No civilian casualties
| notes =
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}}
The Ein 'Arik checkpoint attack occurred 19 February 2002. One Israeli officer and 5 soldiers were killed in an attack on an IDF checkpoint near the Palestinian village of Ein 'Arik, west of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
History
The checkpoint was manned by eight soldiers, five of whom were on duty while three were resting in a nearby trailer. The two militants set out from Ramallah. They approached the checkpoint at 9 pm. Shortly after a change of guards they open fire on the soldiers at the checkpoint, killing three of them and moderately wounding a fourth. A fifth soldier, who served as the look-out, fled the scene unharmed and alerted military authorities. The militants then proceeded to a nearby trailer where the remaining soldiers were holed up. The commanding officer Lt. Moshe Eini and two other soldiers were killed. It is uncertain whether the Israeli soldiers ever returned fire. None of the militants were hurt in the clash and both returned to Ramallah.{{cite news |author=Harel |first=Amos |last2=Hass |first2=Amira |date=20 February 2002 |title=6 soldiers killed in attack on outpost |publisher=Haaretz |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/6-soldiers-killed-in-attack-on-outpost-1.52381 |access-date=10 November 2011}}{{cite news |last=Ben-Ari |first=Bar |date=19 July 2007 |title=Ein Ariq Terrorist Sentenced |publisher=IDF |url=http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/2007/07/1901.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603121847/http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/2007/07/1901.htm |archive-date=3 June 2008 |df=dmy}}
The two militants were policemen of the Palestinian National Authority and reportedly members of the Fatah movement. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for the Ein ‘Arik attack. One of the participants of the attack, variously named "Said Saliman Saida" or "Shadi Sawaa'da"{{cite news |author=Waked |first=Ali |date=31 July 2007 |title=Palestinian who murdered 6 soldiers dies |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3432034,00.html |access-date=10 November 2011}} (Palestinian sources identify him as Shadi Sa'id as-Su’ayida {{langx|ar|شادي سعيد السعايدة}}) was later arrested and sentenced to 7 life sentences. Shortly after his trial he became ill and died in Soroka hospital. A leader of Al-Aqsa Brigades, Kamil Ghanam [Kamal Ranam] ({{langx|ar|كامل غنام}}), claimed that Su’ayida "was in excellent health when he was arrested... We are sure Israel killed him as revenge [for the 2002 attack]."{{cite news |author=Waked |first=Ali |date=31 July 2007 |title=Al-Aqsa Brigades: Israel responsible for Sawa'ada's death |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1,7340,L-3432124,00.html |access-date=10 November 2011}} The second militant was identified as Da'oud al-Haj.
;Aftermath
Israeli paratroopers were ordered to avenge the death of the six soldiers by attacking Palestinian police positions. An Israeli soldier who participated in the incident described it as "an eye for an eye". The identity of the attackers were then unknown but Israel held the Palestinian police responsible for letting them through their checkpoints. 15 Palestinian policemen were killed that night, some of them unarmed.{{cite news |author=Hauser |first=Christine |date=4 June 2005 |title=Israeli Soldiers Report Reprisal Killings of Palestinians |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/04/international/middleeast/04mideast.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107134952/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/04/world/middleeast/israeli-soldiers-report-reprisal-killings-of-palestinians.html |archive-date=7 November 2018}} Their names not shared here.
Fatalities
- Lt. Moshe Eini, 21, of Petah Tikva{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+since+2000/Victims+of+Palestinian+Violence+and+Terrorism+sinc.htm |title=Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism since September 2000 |publisher=MFA |access-date=11 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403024612/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+since+2000/Victims+of+Palestinian+Violence+and+Terrorism+sinc.htm |archive-date=3 April 2007 |df=dmy }}
- St.-Sgt. Benny Kikis, 20, of Carmiel
- St.-Sgt. Mark Podolsky, 20, of Tel Aviv
- St.-Sgt. Erez Turgeman, 20, of Jerusalem
- St.-Sgt. Tamir Atsmi, 21, of Kiryat Ono
- St.-Sgt. Michael Oxsman, 21, of Haifa
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Palestinian militancy attacks in the 2000s}}
{{Fatah}}
{{coord|31.9010|N|35.1508|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
Category:Attacks on military installations in Palestine
Category:February 2002 in Asia
Category:2002 crimes in Israel
Category:Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades attacks
Category:Israeli casualties in the Second Intifada