2 off-duty Israeli soldiers slain
Two off-duty Israeli soldiers were fatally shot by Palestinian gunmen Friday while hiking in the West Bank, the army said.
The men, wearing civilian clothes but armed, were fired upon by a group in a rural area near the town of Hebron, the military said.
The Israelis returned fire, the army said, killing one of the Palestinians and wounding another. An Israeli woman who was hiking with the soldiers escaped and summoned authorities.
Reuters news agency reported that the militant group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
The military identified the victims as Sgt. David Rubin, 21, and Pvt. Ahikam Amihai, 20, both residents of Kiryat Arba, a Jewish settlement next to Hebron, where tensions between Jews and Palestinians often run high.
Israeli forces were searching the area for other suspected gunmen, the army said.
Israeli cars are sometimes fired upon while passing through the West Bank, and authorities have warned Jewish settlers against hitchhiking because of concerns about drive-by shootings and kidnappings.
Last month, a Jewish settler was fatally shot in his car near his home in the northern West Bank. Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militia tied to the Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, claimed responsibility; two members of the Palestinian security forces were later detained.
Security is a central Israeli concern in peace talks between Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and Abbas. Israeli officials say Palestinians have not fulfilled promises to crack down on armed groups, as required under the U.S.-backed peace plan known as the road map.
The fatal shooting of the soldiers occurred hours after Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Ramallah shot and killed a member of the Palestinian security forces assigned to guard former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Korei. The former premier heads Abbas’ negotiating team in the peace talks.
The military said the guard was wanted by Israeli authorities on suspicion of providing weapons to militants in the Ramallah area. An army spokeswoman said troops shot him after he opened fire during an arrest raid early Thursday.
Korei condemned the raid.
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