Palestinian Dies, Another Shot with Tensions High in West Bank
A Palestinian died while handling an explosive device and another was shot by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Tuesday as tensions rose ahead of major religious holidays for Jews and Muslims.
Both incidents occurred in the Hebron area of the southern West Bank ahead of the Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha holidays and after three days of clashes rocked Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound last week.
Jerusalem remained calm on Tuesday, but was under tight security, with thousands of police officers deployed and authorities closing off the city to residents of the occupied West Bank.
Overnight in the village of Dura near Hebron, a Palestinian was killed by an explosive device he intended to toss at a military vehicle, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. Residents provided a similar account.
Palestinian security officials however said he was shot dead by Israeli troops. They named him as Dia al-Talahmeh, 21.
The army spokeswoman said a patrol had been deployed to clear stones blocking a road outside Hebron.
"The soldiers heard an explosion and during a search of the sector they found the body of a Palestinian killed by the explosive device he intended to throw at one of our vehicles," she said.
Separately on Tuesday morning, Israeli troops shot and wounded a Palestinian woman at a checkpoint near the centre of Hebron, witnesses said. The Israeli military said she had attempted to stab a soldier.
"An attack was thwarted when a Palestinian attempted to stab an (Israeli) soldier at a military position in Hebron," an army statement said.
"(Israeli) forces responded, fired towards the perpetrator and identified a hit."
Witnesses named her as 18-year-old Hadeel al-Hashlamon.
A string of incidents between the army and Palestinians in the Hebron area had also occurred during the day on Monday, residents said.
Hebron has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with some 500 Israeli settlers living there under heavy guard and clashes regularly occurring.
- Tight security in Jerusalem -
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank, including Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, ahead of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday which begins at sundown on Tuesday.
The Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday begins on Wednesday evening and continues until Sunday.
Israel has deployed thousands of police in Jerusalem and shut it off from the West Bank, with checkpoints closed for the holiday as in previous years.
There were also age restrictions on Muslims entering the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem's Old City, with men under 40 prohibited. Israeli authorities implement such age restrictions when tensions are high in a bid to avoid violence.
Crowds of Jewish worshippers visited the Western Wall below the Al-Aqsa compound on Tuesday morning. Visits by Jews and tourists also went ahead as usual at the Al-Aqsa compound.
One group of Jewish visitors toured the site under close escort by authorities.
Last week's clashes occurred as Jews celebrated their New Year, or Rosh Hashanah.
Police said they raided the Al-Aqsa compound to stop youths who had barricaded themselves inside the mosque from disrupting visits by Jews and tourists.
Clashes broke out during the raids, with protesters throwing fireworks, stones and other objects at police, who fired stun grenades.
There were also clashes in the alleyways of the Old City outside the compound. Friday saw further unrest in the occupied West Bank and sporadically in Jerusalem.
Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam, is also venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount and is considered the most sacred in Judaism.
Muslims have been alarmed by an increase in visits by Jews to the site and fear rules governing the compound will be changed. Jews are allowed to visit but not to pray to avoid provoking tensions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly he is committed to the status quo at the site.
Israel seized east Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: Agence France Presse
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