NABI SALEH, Palestinian Territories — A
Palestinian was killed by Israeli
fire in the occupied West Bank Tuesday, both sides said, during what witnesses
described as a confrontation between protesters and Israeli troops.
اضافة اعلان
The Palestinian health ministry said only that a
Palestinian citizen was killed by Israeli fire in Nabi Saleh, northwest of
Ramallah.
Residents identified the victim as Nehad Bargouthi,
19, who was shot as local youths hurled stones at Israeli forces.
He “was assassinated in cold blood and in broad
daylight,” his brother Ihab Bargouthi said.
The Israeli forces said in a statement that “the
Palestinians hurled rocks” at Israeli forces.
“The troops
responded with riot dispersal means to restore order, including with live fire
in order to stop a suspect, in accordance to the procedures,” the statement
said, noting the incident was “under review.”
People from Bargouthi’s village of Kafr Ein, which
is a short distance from Nabi Saleh, said he had been imprisoned in 2018 and
was recently released.
According to his brother, he is “a former prisoner
and wounded person... the occupation knows him well.”
Ihab Bargouthi added: “There were confrontations in
the village of Al-Nabi Saleh. Nehad goes to participate in any confrontations
he hears about.”
Another teen killed
The killing comes less than
two days after another teenager was killed by Israeli gunfire near the
flashpoint West Bank town of Jenin.
Mohammed Abu Salah, 17, was shot during
confrontations that erupted as Israeli forces late Sunday were destroying the
home of a Palestinian they accused of carrying out the December killing of a
Israeli settler in the West Bank.
In another case last week, special
Israeli forces killed three Palestinians during a daytime raid against what Israel described
as a “terrorist cell”, leaving a vehicle in the West Bank city of Nablus
riddled with bullet holes.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967
Arab-Israeli War.
About 475,000 settlers now live in the territory, in
communities regarded as illegal under international law, a situation which also
fuels tensions with the West Bank’s nearly 2.9 million Palestinians.
Deadly incidents
are common, often during confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli
froces.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is the former
head of a settler lobbying council who opposes Palestinian statehood.
He has ruled out any formal peace talks with
Palestinians during his tenure but said he will work to improve
economic conditions in the West Bank.
The
Palestinian Authority
has civilian control over parts of the West Bank. Ties between the Authority,
led by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, and Israel remain fraught. There
have, however, been signs of a thaw in recent months following a series of
high-level meetings, including Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz hosting
Abbas at his home.
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