Two Palestinians arrested for alleged involvement in attack with explosive device

Two Palestinians were arrested for their alleged part in an attack with an explosive device which seriously injured an Israeli soldier last week, Israeli security forces said on Sunday.

The two suspects were arrested on May 11, a day after the attack took place, in a joint operation by the Israeli police, the military and the Shin Bet security agency, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

An improvised explosive device went off at a military checkpoint north of Jerusalem on Tuesday at a checkpoint near the Palestinian town of Hizma, causing the serious injury of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer.

A gag order is intact on the details of the investigation, other than the arrest of the two. Police did say there has been a "substantial" advancement in the interrogation of the suspects.

Last week's incident is part of an ongoing wave of violence in which 28 Israelis were killed in shooting, stabbing and car-ramming attack since the start of the current wave of unrest in October.

During this time, 203 Palestinians have been killed, either in clashes during protests with Israeli security forces or they were gunned down after trying to commit attacks against Israelis.

Israeli leaders say the Palestinian Authority is inciting Palestinian to violence amid the wave of unrest, whereas the Palestinians say the violence is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories, where Palestinians wish to establish their own state. Endit