Teacher driving home to West Bank settlement finds herself target of rock salvo – daily occurrence in area, she says

A teacher was on her way home to the West Bank settlement of Karmei Tzur on Tuesday when she found herself the target of a rock salvo that smashed her windshield.

Zehava Weiss, the driver, came out unscathed from an incident that has become a daily experience for residents in the region. An AFP photographer who was standing nearby captured the instance when a Palestinian boy hurled a boulder at her car.

Weiss told Ynet that she saw the car in front of her getting hit, but did not think the salvo would continue. She had no choice but to continue driving into Beit Ummar, a Palestinian town, even after she bcame the target.

"I saw crowds on my left and on my right," Weiss recalled. "I knew that something was happening, but I had to continue driving because I didn´t see any cops of soldiers in the area."

Luckily, Weiss said, her car is armored, but even so "the windshield was shattered and the exterior was dented in several places. They were throwing bricks, not stones."

´It happens every day´

This wasn´t Weiss´ first time in an incident of this kind.

"The Palestinians love to throw stones near that spot, and at two other sites near the village," she said. "I have lived in Karmei Tzur for eight years and I can tell you that they hurl stones almost every day.

"My heart was beating so fast after the incident, but we have to continue driving through there," she added. "What choice do we have?"

The IDF Spokesperson´s Unit said that security forces are regularly stationed around Beit Ummar with the purpose of preventing such incidents. When violence does occur, troops are dispatched to search for the perpetrators.

Following Tuesday´s incidents, two suspects were arrested near the Palestinian town of Al-Khader.

"The IDF works continuously to apprehend those who are involved in any terrorist activity," the army said.

According to the police, which collaborates with the IDF on the issue, 368 Palestinians were arrested in 2011 for throwing stones, and 38 were arrested for hurling Molotov cocktails. Over 100 suspects in similar cases were arrested in January and February of this year. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 02/23/12)