Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli Forces

By Nathan Morley

Officials in Ramallah say three Palestinian men have been killed by Israeli forces in two separate incidents in the occupied West Bank.

Two of the young men were brothers who were fatally shot as fights broke out with Israeli troops near Ramallah.

A spokesman for the Israeli military said the men threw petrol bombs at soldiers and that they returned fire. It is understood that both men were in their early 20s.

The third man was shot dead after two Israeli army jeeps broke down near Hebron. The military said its troops were shot at and that improvised explosives were tossed at them.

The continuing unrest came after a week of deadly violence in the region.

Last week, twin blasts shook Jerusalem, killing an Israeli-Canadian teenager and injuring at least 18 others.

Soon after, two Palestinians died of wounds sustained from Israeli gunfire around the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Speaking earlier this week, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, cautioned that the conflict was ‘again reaching a boiling point’.

Wennesland reported that high levels of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel in recent months has resulted in grave suffering.

This included attacks against civilians from both sides, increased use of arms, and settler-related violence.

“This surge in violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is taking place in the context of a stalled peace process and entrenched occupation, and amidst mounting economic and institutional challenges faced by the Palestinian Authority,” Wennesland said.

“Global trends and declining donor support have compounded these challenges, alongside an absence of democratic renewal for the Palestinian people.”