Two Men Dead Near Hebron, and Netanyahu Orders a West Bank Closure Prepared

Israeli soldiers shot and killed two men near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning, according to an Associated Press report. The Israeli military said the two had launched an attack that injured at least five people, some of them critically. A few hours later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office told security forces to cordon off Hebron immediately and to prepare to fully close the West Bank, starting Friday.

The second order reaches well beyond one city. The prime minister's office used the word prepare, and it has not been reported that a closure of the whole West Bank is in force.

Much is still unknown. The account of what the two men did comes from the Israeli military and is unverified. No Palestinian account was available. The names of the dead and of the wounded were not released. NPR's version of the report said an investigation was underway.

What the Associated Press Reported

The core facts come from an Associated Press report carried by Stuff in New Zealand and by NPR. Patriot Daily Wire has not read either story in full, and this account rests on the headline, the excerpts and the page details available. Stuff's headline described the attack as alleged. A photo caption on the Stuff page placed the shooting near Yehuda Junction, near Hebron.

According to the AP report, the prime minister's office said it had instructed security forces to immediately cordon off Hebron and to prepare to fully close all of the West Bank, starting Friday. The report said the office did not elaborate on the target of the attack, and that there was no word on who the dead men were or who was hurt.

A Conflict in the Casualty Count

Early coverage did not agree on one important point. The AP and NPR accounts we saw describe two men killed by Israeli soldiers and at least five people injured. But headlines from CNN and from Germany's DW referred to soldiers being killed. Patriot Daily Wire has not read the CNN or DW stories and could not resolve the difference. Whether any Israeli soldiers died is unconfirmed, and no Israeli military or prime minister's office statement was available to us.

There are other loose ends. Headlines from The Arab Weekly and DW said Israel had also ordered home demolitions, and The Arab Weekly called the order a "full lockdown." We could not confirm either from the text of those stories. How far the closure goes, and how long it lasts, has not been made public.

One Comment Still Missing

The Stuff page indicates that Belgium's foreign minister said something in connection with the report, but the excerpt available to us cut off before the remarks. We cannot say what was said or how it relates to Friday's events.

What Comes Next

Several things should become clearer in the coming days. Officials still need to identify the two men and the wounded, say what the attack was aimed at, and settle whether any soldiers were among the dead. Netanyahu's government also has to say whether its preparations turn into a full West Bank closure, and for how long. The reports of home demolitions, and any reactions such as Belgium's, remain to be confirmed.