Saturday, October 05, 2002

Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian in Clash - Witnesses
Israeli soldiers shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian during clashes with stone-throwing protesters on Saturday, Palestinian witnesses and medics said, on the eve of an international round of peace diplomacy.

The incident in the West Bank city of Nablus, which has been under curfew for more than 100 days, inflamed tensions ahead of the arrival of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Saturday night for shuttle talks with Israel and the Palestinians.

The youth killed in the West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday, Ammar Rajab, was the second Palestinian teenager to be killed in the West Bank in as many days. On Friday a 16-year-old was killed in the city of Jenin when troops fired in the direction of what the army described as rioters.

SCHOOLCHILDREN ORDERED HOME

Nablus residents said soldiers, who had often allowed children to attend unofficial classes at nearby schools despite the curfew, on Saturday ordered them back home, prompting protesters to begin throwing stones.

Palestinian medics said Rajab had been shot in the head as soldiers fired on the stone-throwers. Witnesses said two other youths, aged 13 and 16, had been wounded.

The army said it was checking the report.

Israel has re-occupied West Bank cities since a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings and has imposed military curfews, saying they help prevent further attacks. Palestinians and human rights organizations say the measures are collective punishment.

In Nablus, the largest stronghold of Palestinian militants in the West Bank, residents have been kept indoors almost continuously for more than 100 days.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-mideast.html

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