Israelis Kill Arab in West Bank Clash
Israeli troops shot and killed a 21-year-old Arab and wounded another Wednesday during a clash in the occupied West Bank, an army spokesman said.
At the same time, the army closed schools for the second time this year in the occupied territories after Arabs shut down shops and services throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a show of solidarity with Palestinians jailed since the uprising began last December. According to the army, 7,800 Arabs now are held in Israeli detention centers.
The army shut the schools in February at the height of the uprising but began reopening them late last month as the violence subsided.
Wednesday’s fatality occurred in Battir, near Bethlehem, where youths blocked a road to make sure Arab workers participated in the strike, according to one villager.
When Israeli troops arrived, the youths began throwing bottles and stones. Soldiers responded first with tear gas and then fired live ammunition, killing Nidal Ibrahim Hassan, the source said.
A military spokesman confirmed the death and said troops shot him after he hurled a firebomb. The death brought to at least 195 the number of Arabs killed since the uprising began Dec. 9.
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