Hebron violence: 4 Israelis wounded in shootings, stabbing; old Palestinian

The killing of a 73-year-old woman in the West Bank has raised fresh questions about disproportionate response by Israeli troops to alleged Palestinian attacks.

A spokesperson said her auto slowed down and then sped toward the soldiers, who jumped out of the way unharmed and opened fire.

MADA says Israeli forces violently assault photojournalists, prevent them from covering incidents and even delete their material because “Israel wants to hide the reality and does not want the journalists to deliver their message to the world”.

An October 20 letter from the Information Ministry to the attorney general, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said the newspaper had published a report that was “offensive to the State of Palestine and its security services”. Her son denied she tried to harm anyone, and that she was on her way to lunch with her sister when she was killed.

Sharawi’s family does not believe that she wanted to kill IDF soldiers with her auto.

Israeli troops searching the site of the attack found a cache of firebombs and a few stones.

Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency said they had arrested overnight a 16-year-old Palestinian from Bani Naim village east of Hebron, who admitted carrying out a shooting in the Palestinian village of Beit Anon near Hebron, and handed over the rifle he used.

On Friday night, three Israeli soldiers were injured in two separate shooting incidents allegedly carried out by Palestinians in the Hebron area. The soldiers fired back tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.

Israeli forces are conducting a search in the area for the suspect.

Hebron has 200 000 Palestinian residents with approximately 500 Israeli settlers living in the centre, protected by an army-patrolled buffer zone.

Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, has witnessed daily clashes between Palestinian youth – protesting Israel’s occupation – and Israeli forces.

The latest violence came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to leave for Washington on Sunday to meet US President Barack Obama.

The bloodshed was triggered by unrest at a major Jerusalem shrine revered by both Muslims and Jews, and quickly spread to Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza border.

Most of it had occurred in and around Hebron and mainly involved Palestinian stabbing attacks.

Netanyahu has criticized Abbas for inciting the recent violence and for failing to condemn Palestinian terrorism.