Arab Reported Slain as Troops Raid 30 Villages

Soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man and demolished five houses Friday during raids on more than 30 villages in the occupied West Bank to arrest Arabs suspected of anti-Israeli activities, Palestinian sources said.

The sources said another Palestinian youth who was shot and wounded last week died Friday, raising the Palestinian death toll to at least 250 in the 10-month-old uprising against Israel’s 21-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

At least nine other Palestinians were shot and wounded by soldiers Friday in scattered confrontations in the occupied territories, the sources said, while police said a soldier and a policeman were wounded in stone-throwing incidents on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

The Israeli army only had reports of one wounded man in a West Bank village.

1953 Raid Marked

The raids came as Palestinians in the occupied territories observed a general strike to mark the 35th anniversary of the military’s raid on Kibya. More than 20 residents were killed in the 1953 raid on the West Bank town, which was then under Jordanian rule.

The military also lifted a weeklong curfew on Nablus, the largest city in the West Bank, imposed after soldiers killed four Palestinians during rioting Oct. 7. The army circulated pamphlets in Nablus calling on residents to refrain from demonstrating, state-run Israel Radio reported.

But within hours of the curfew’s removal, soldiers shot and wounded at least three youths during clashes in the city’s marketplace, military and Palestinian sources said.

Soldiers raided more than 30 West Bank villages to arrest Palestinians suspected of anti-Israeli activities, military sources said.

During a morning raid on the village of Kfar Malik, soldiers shot and killed Omar Abed Alasy, 22, Palestinian sources said. Another Kfar Malik resident was wounded in clashes with soldiers, the sources said.

An Israeli army spokesman said the military only had a report of one wounded in Kfar Malik.

In nearby Ramallah, Ahmed Alarja, 19, died of wounds suffered on Oct. 8, Palestinian sources said. They said Alarja was shot in the base of the neck after stones were thrown at a military observation post atop a Ramallah building.

In the West Bank village of Biddiya, the army demolished five houses and sealed another one to punish Palestinians accused of gunning down the Israeli-appointed leader of the community.

Mustafa Salim abu Bakr, 46, was ambushed Oct. 6 while driving with his two sons through Biddiya, about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem. He was killed, his sons wounded and their car set on fire.

Palestinian sources said Bakr, who survived three assassination attempts this year, was killed because he was suspected of selling land to Israelis and actively cooperating with Israeli authorities.