Violent West Bank clash results in one Palestinian dead, two Jewish settlers arrested
One of the arrested reportedly is a former spokesperson for Knesset member of Jewish Power party
Two Israeli settlers were arrested by the Israel Police on Saturday morning after a Palestinian man was shot dead by an Israeli settler in a violent clash on Friday.
Israeli media reported that one of the arrested is a former spokesperson for a Knesset member of the Jewish Power party.
The shooting took place near the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah in the West Bank following clashes between local Palestinians and Jewish settlers from the nearby outpost of Oz Zion.
According to Israel Defense Forces, the confrontation began when a group of settlers proceeded toward Burqa to let their sheep feed there.
Local Palestinians confronted the group and sought to expel them, claiming the settlers were trespassing on their land.
The confrontation began verbally but then escalated into mutual stone-throwing and the shooting of fireworks by the Palestinians, at which point, the Israelis opened fire at them.
One Palestinian was killed and four were wounded by the gunfire. An undisclosed number of settlers were injured by stones.
The Palestinian who was killed in the skirmish was later identified as 19-year-old Qusai Ma'atan, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Military forces were called to the scene but arrived too late to prevent the clash.
The IDF stated the area would be declared a closed military zone and stationed soldiers there to prevent further clashes.
The incident is currently under further investigation with Israel's Security Agency (ISA), Shin Bet.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
