Family left in shock by shooting of young Palestinian woman

Mai Afaneh appeared to have a happy family life and a fulfilling career

JERUSALEM -- Mai Afaneh appeared to have a happy family life and a fulfilling career. So when she left her West Bank home early on Wednesday, no one thought anything was wrong. But a short while later, her family received the devastating news that she had been shot and killed by Israeli troops, allegedly after carrying out an attempted car-ramming attack. In just a few short moments, she became another statistic — the latest in a list of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military under unclear circumstances. The cases play out in a similar pattern. The army reports an attempted attack by a Palestinian assailant, usually acting alone and unaffiliated with any militant group. Then, it says troops “neutralized” the attacker.