Murder of Rina Shnerb
On 23 August 2019, 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb was killed by a roadside bomb while hiking with her father, Rabbi Eitan Shnerb, and brother Dvir near Dolev, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank; her father and brother were wounded. Shnerb's funeral was held in Lod on 23 August.
Background
The explosion/attack took place near the spring of Ein Bubin, close to the Palestinian village of Deir Ibzi, whose lower lands, near the spring area, are abandoned because they are denied access and only allowed to be used by the Palestinians for two or three days a year. Springs, in particular, are flash-points in the conflict between Israelis settlers and the local Palestinian villagers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with, according to Dror Ektes, over 60 springs seized in the past 10 years from Palestinians so far, and thereupon reserved for Jewish use only. Palestinian villagers had so far, by then, had resisted efforts to take over the Ein Bubin spring and were still able to access it due to their efforts.According to Amira Hass, the site is one of nine in an area where, over three decades, the settlements of Dolev and Nahliel, and illegal Israeli outposts between them, have seized control over some 3,700 acres of Palestinian land.
Attack and explosion
On 23 August 2019, a roadside bomb from an improvised explosive device went off while Rina Shnerb was hiking with her father, Eitan Shnerb, and brother Dvir near Dolev, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Rina Shnerb, at only 17-years-old, was killed by the roadside bomb, while her father and brother were wounded.Aftermath
Arrest of suspects and trial
In the aftermath, Israeli forces arrested three PFLP members allegedly responsible, one of whom was hospitalized with his life in danger after interrogation using "exceptional means" by Shin Bet.Funeral
Shnerb's funeral was held in Lod on 23 August.Demolition of the suspects' homes
On 5 March 2020, the Israeli Defense Force destroyed the homes of two suspected perpetrators in the Ramallah area.Reactions
Israel
- Bezalel Smotrich of Yamina called for the annexation of the West Bank in response to Shnerb's killing.
- The father, an IDF reserve military chaplain, said that his message to the suspects is "we are here and we are strong and we will prevail".
Palestine
- Hamas praised the attack.
- Palestinian Islamic Jihad called it a "natural response" to Israeli water-blocking of and land seizures from Palestinians.
- The Palestinian Authority said it was likely the work of a "highly organized cell" that posed a threat to the Palestinians as well as Israelis.
International
- As a reaction to the attack, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag temporarily halted aid payments given to the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, an organization which was suspected to have been allegedly paying salaries to the perpetrators.
Legacy
In April 2022, a new spring in the Jordan Valley was dedicated to Shnerb.