Arab Youth Killed in Clashes with IDF Troops
JERUSALEM, Israel -- A Palestinian Arab youth died when Israeli soldiers attempting to quell a riot in a town near Bethlehem resorted to live ammunition after crowd control measures failed to quell the violence.
The victim was identified as Jihad Shahada al-Jaafari, 19, a resident of Deheisha near Bethlehem, AFP reported. The town of 13,000, established 60 years ago, is referred to as the oldest "refugee camp."
A mob of 70 to 100 hurled firebombs, rocks and other explosive devices at a Golani Brigade battalion conducting a security operation, The Jerusalem Post reported. Some dropped cement blocks on the troops from rooftops, and one soldier was transported to the hospital after being hit in the head.
"The force, feeling imminent danger to their lives, responded with fire toward an instigator," an IDF spokesperson said.
The IDF is investigating a claim by Jaafari's family that he was not taking part in the rioting. It is also looking into his affiliation with groups such as the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the "military wing" of P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
