NABLUS (Palestinian Territories) - Israeli forces yesterday shot dead a Palestinian near a Jewish shrine in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian officials said, as the army claimed troops had come under attack.
“A citizen was killed by the occupation (Israeli) bullets in Nablus,” the Palestinian ministry said in a statement, adding that three others were wounded and taken to hospital. The statement did not elaborate on the identity of the deceased. The Israeli army said its forces had “operated to secure the coordinated entrance of Israeli civilians to Joseph’s Tomb in the city of Nablus”. The army regularly escorts Jewish pilgrims to the holy site, while Palestinians claim the visits are a provocation.
The army added that “armed Palestinians burned tires, hurled explosive devices and rocks, and fired towards the security forces”. “The forces responded with live fire and riot dispersal means,” the Israeli statement said.
There was no immediate word on any casualties on the Israeli side.
The incident came amid rising tensions in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War. The territory has recently seen a string of Palestinian attacks targeting Israeli forces or settlers, and violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
Witnesses in Nablus told AFP dozens of Palestinians set fire to tyres and threw explosive devices and stones at soldiers escorting a group of Israelis to the religious site on the city’s outskirts. The pilgrims were headed to the revered tomb -- a site of frequent violence -- believed to be the final resting place of the biblical patriarch Joseph.
Violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this year has killed at least 196 Palestinians, 27 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources from both sides. They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants and civilians, and on the Israeli side, mostly civilians and three members of the Arab minority.
The West Bank is home to nearly three million Palestinians, as well as around 490 000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.
- Nampa/AFP