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,. 'Springs on the West Bank have become flash points between Palestinians who bathe or water their flocks in them and Jewish settlers who have increasingly sought to prevent them from doing so. A 2012 United Nations report identified 30 springs that had been completely "taken over" by settlers and another 26, including Ein Bubin, that were "at risk" of takeover, whether by frequent tourism or by the presence of armed patrols seen as intimidating to Palestinians.' 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.. 'According to Dror Etkes, the founder of Kerem Navot, an organization that studies Israeli land policy in the West Bank, there are today more than 60 springs in the central West Bank that settlers coveted and seized as part of a project of plunder that began 10 years ago. The landscaping and renovation work at about half of them has been completed, the dispossession made absolute, the Palestinians blocked from even approaching the springs and their lands. Other springs targeted by the settlers are in various stages of takeover.' 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 (IDF) 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 On 21 April 2020, eight months after the murder, had a new child, a girl. Her parents considered naming the baby Rina but decided that "Rina is still with us in spirit", and gave the newly-born a different name.

In April 2022, a new spring in the Jordan Valley was dedicated to Shnerb.

See also List of terrorist incidents in August 2019 Murder of Ori Ansbacher Murder of Dvir Sorek

Citations

Sources