A Palestinian man was shot dead by an Israeli during a settler attack on a village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening. A relative said Alaa Khalid Subeih, 28, was killed as he tried to defend a greenhouse from the settlers in Tayasir in the northern West Bank. A senior UN official also said he was killed by a settler.
The Israeli military said he was shot by an off-duty soldier and accused him of throwing stones. Tayasir has been a focus of recent violence by settlers. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.
The killing came as ex-security chiefs warned that government sponsored Jewish terrorism was running wild in the West Bank and the Israeli government reportedly approved dozens more settlements.
Tayasir is in an area of the West Bank that is supposed to be under the security control of the Palestinian Authority. Last month, a CNN crew covering violence there was detained by Israeli soldiers.
Saeb Subeih, Alaa's cousin, described him as one of the finest young men in the village, one of the most decent, one of the best - a calm, respectful person who had no problems with anyone. He stated that the settlers were in the area under army protection.
On Wednesday, a group of settlers raided the village and Alaa was executed after defending his greenhouse. His body has still not been returned to his family by the IDF. Returning it, Saeb said, is the only thing that can ease the pain for his mother, his father, and his family.
Ajith Sunghay, from the UN Human Rights Office, expressed concerns over the increasing settler violence, noting the rise in recorded incidents this year. IDF's statements regarding the incident labeled Subeih as a terrorist in Hebrew media but referred to him as a civilian in English, raising questions about transparency in the military's response to this tragic situation.
The Israeli military said he was shot by an off-duty soldier and accused him of throwing stones. Tayasir has been a focus of recent violence by settlers. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.
The killing came as ex-security chiefs warned that government sponsored Jewish terrorism was running wild in the West Bank and the Israeli government reportedly approved dozens more settlements.
Tayasir is in an area of the West Bank that is supposed to be under the security control of the Palestinian Authority. Last month, a CNN crew covering violence there was detained by Israeli soldiers.
Saeb Subeih, Alaa's cousin, described him as one of the finest young men in the village, one of the most decent, one of the best - a calm, respectful person who had no problems with anyone. He stated that the settlers were in the area under army protection.
On Wednesday, a group of settlers raided the village and Alaa was executed after defending his greenhouse. His body has still not been returned to his family by the IDF. Returning it, Saeb said, is the only thing that can ease the pain for his mother, his father, and his family.
Ajith Sunghay, from the UN Human Rights Office, expressed concerns over the increasing settler violence, noting the rise in recorded incidents this year. IDF's statements regarding the incident labeled Subeih as a terrorist in Hebrew media but referred to him as a civilian in English, raising questions about transparency in the military's response to this tragic situation.
