Former US Marine Shot in Head in West Bank Town of Huwara

JERUSALEM, Israel – An American-Israeli former U.S. Marine was shot in the head at point-blank range in his car Sunday in the West Bank town of Huwara.

David Stern, 44, was driving with his family when a terrorist unleashed a barrage of bullets on the car. Despite his serious wound, Stern managed to fire back at the terrorist, wounding him. Israeli soldiers later shot the terrorist as well. He fled, but was captured and is now reported to be in the custody of Israel's security agency, the Shin Bet.

Stern's wife, Rachel, was treated for shock. The couple's children were also in the car but were uninjured.

Stern is expected to survive the attack.

This is the second shooting in less than a month in Huwara. Two brothers, Hallel and Yigal Yaniv were murdered in their car there on February 26th

The attack on the Stern family came as Israeli and Palestinian officials, under the auspices of the U.S., Egypt, and Jordan, were meeting for the second time to try to reduce the level of violence in Judea and Samaria before the Muslim holiday of Ramadan begins. 

The first time the two sides met in Aqaba, Jordan, was the day the Yaniv brothers were murdered in Huwara.

Stern, from the community of Itamar in Samaria, has served as a weapons advisor. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides confirmed in a tweet that an American citizen was shot. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Stern as a "hero" and said he was praying for him.

At the Sharm-el-Sheikh meeting, Israel  and the Palestinian Authority agreed to work jointly to "curb and counter" violence, and Israel reportedly consented to a partial freeze in settlement activity, with the beginning of Ramadan on Wednesday night.

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news.*