US Marine veteran shot by Palestinian in West Bank as threat of holiday violence looms

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An unidentified Palestinian shot and severely wounded an Israeli American man in the West Bank town of Hawara in Israel on Monday.

The man, David Stern, is a U.S. Marine veteran living in Israel. He was attacked while driving in a vehicle with his wife. Images from the scene show multiple gunshot impacts on the diver’s side of the vehicle’s windshield.

“The terrorists messed with the wrong guy,” Stern’s brother-in-law, Shlomo Blass, told the Tazpit Press Service. “David is a trained professional at the highest level. He’s a martial art master. He’s the guy you want beside you when you’re in danger.”

Witnesses at the scene said Stern and Israeli soldiers nearby returned fire on the Palestinian attacker, wounding him. Stern’s wife was not harmed in the attack.

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A U.S. Marine veteran, David Stern, was shot while driving with his wife in the West Bank. (Nadav Goldstein/TPS)

Investigators inspect U.S. Marine veteran David Stern’s car after a Palestinian shot him. (Nadav Goldstein/TPS)

While Hamas did not explicitly claim responsibility for the attack, its leaders described it as a “natural response” to Israeli occupation.

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Israeli Defense Forces are treating the incident as a terrorist attack, and have taken the Palestinian suspect into custody.

The attack comes while Israeli authorities are attempting to keep the peace as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins this week. Israeli officials are also negotiating with Palestinian leaders in Egypt throughout this week.

The Egypt talks are aimed at quelling several months of violence between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank.

Monday’s shooting was the second such attack in as many months. Another gunman killed two Israeli citizens in February when Israeli and Palestinian officials began talks.

A U.S. Marine Veteran returned fire on his Palestinian attacker after being shot through the windshield of his car on Monday. (Nadav Goldstein/TPS)

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Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian attackers earlier in March as well when the gunmen opened fire at an Israeli military post near Nablus.

The Palestinian gunmen were members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group connected to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, according to The Associated Press. 

Three of the gunmen were killed at the scene while a fourth later surrendered to authorities.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.