Three Palestinians killed during West Bank clash with Israeli security forces
- 9 years ago
Originally published on August 27, 2013
Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians during an early morning raid in a West Bank refugee camp on Monday, hours before negotiators met for another round of peace talks, Reuters reported Palestinian sources as saying.
Israeli border police said they entered the Qalandiya camp, near Jerusalem, to arrest a man and were confronted by a crowd throwing firebombs and rocks.
Witnesses said the Israeli forces opened fire and hospital officials told Reuters three men were killed.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to Palestinian refugees, said one of its employees, a 34-year-old father of four, was among the dead.
"Credible reports say that (Robeen Zayed) was on his way to work and was not engaged in any violent activity. He was shot in the chest," said UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness.
A military spokeswoman confirmed that troops had been shot at and returned fire in self-defense. She added that the forces arrested the man they had come to detain.
"Large, violent crowds which significantly outnumber security forces leave no other choice but to resort to live fire for self defense," Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, another military spokesman, said.
The riot had become "so large and violent that it was vital for forces to assist in containing it," he added.
An Israeli security source said an investigation had shown live fire was only directed towards rioters.
PEACE TALKS CONTINUE
The U.S.-brokered peace talks carried on after the clashes, though no details emerged of the discussions.
Talks resumed last month after a three-year stalemate caused by Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967 which Palestinians seek for a state along with the Gaza Strip.
Neither party has expressed much optimism for a major breakthrough and the negotiators have met largely in secret, alternating between Israeli and Palestinian locations.
Thousands
Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians during an early morning raid in a West Bank refugee camp on Monday, hours before negotiators met for another round of peace talks, Reuters reported Palestinian sources as saying.
Israeli border police said they entered the Qalandiya camp, near Jerusalem, to arrest a man and were confronted by a crowd throwing firebombs and rocks.
Witnesses said the Israeli forces opened fire and hospital officials told Reuters three men were killed.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to Palestinian refugees, said one of its employees, a 34-year-old father of four, was among the dead.
"Credible reports say that (Robeen Zayed) was on his way to work and was not engaged in any violent activity. He was shot in the chest," said UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness.
A military spokeswoman confirmed that troops had been shot at and returned fire in self-defense. She added that the forces arrested the man they had come to detain.
"Large, violent crowds which significantly outnumber security forces leave no other choice but to resort to live fire for self defense," Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, another military spokesman, said.
The riot had become "so large and violent that it was vital for forces to assist in containing it," he added.
An Israeli security source said an investigation had shown live fire was only directed towards rioters.
PEACE TALKS CONTINUE
The U.S.-brokered peace talks carried on after the clashes, though no details emerged of the discussions.
Talks resumed last month after a three-year stalemate caused by Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967 which Palestinians seek for a state along with the Gaza Strip.
Neither party has expressed much optimism for a major breakthrough and the negotiators have met largely in secret, alternating between Israeli and Palestinian locations.
Thousands