Palestinian killed by Israel army in West Bank: ministry
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The man sustained a gunshot wound to the head during clashes with Israeli forces
RAMALLAH (AFP) - A Palestinian was killed by Israeli troops during a clash in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The man sustained a gunshot wound to the head during clashes with Israeli forces in the northern village of Beita and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Nablus, the ministry said in a statement.
Beita is the scene of regular demonstrations against Jewish settlement expansion, with residents demonstrating since May against the wildcat settlement outpost of Eviatar set up nearby without Israeli permission.
The Israeli army said it was "aware" of reports of the death of a Palestinian, adding that a "violent riot was instigated in the area of the Givat Eviatar outpost, south of Nablus".
"During the riot, hundreds of Palestinians hurled burning tyres and rocks at Israel Defence Force and Israeli Border Police troops, who responded with riot dispersal means to restore order," a statement from the military said.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, about 475,000 Israeli settlers live in fortified communities in the West Bank, which is home to more than 2.8 million Palestinians.
Palestinians eye the West Bank, which Israel captured in the Six-Day War of 1967, as part of their future state, while hardline Israelis, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, say it is a heartland of Jewish history.
