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Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian In West Bank Raid

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian and wounded two others during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank early on … Continue reading Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian In West Bank Raid


Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian and wounded two others during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank early on Tuesday, Palestinian medical officials said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said security forces arrested a suspected militant in Jenin and, after being attacked with live fire, home-made bombs and rocks, shot back. She said one Palestinian was apparently killed and two soldiers slightly hurt.

Doctors at a Jenin hospital said Majed Lahlouh, 20, was killed with a bullet to his heart. The wounded men sustained gunshot wounds, they said.

Eyewitnesses said the Israeli troops entered the narrow streets of the camp at dawn seeking to arrest a local resident.

Last week Israel and the Palestinians resumed U.S.-brokered peace talks after a three-year breakdown, though neither side has expressed much optimism for a major breakthrough.

Israeli troops often enter Palestinian-controlled territory to detain individuals suspected of militant activity, usually conducting the raids during darkness to minimize confrontation.

Tuesday’s shooting was followed by angry protests by locals against Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, as well as against the resumption of the peace talks.

“Once fired upon, the troops acted in a professional manner,” Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said.

Violence in the West Bank has worsened since the beginning of 2013. Israeli forces have killed 11 Palestinians there this year, most of them in clashes, compared with three killed in the same period in 2012, according to United Nations figures.