Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian teenager in Bethlehem
Palestinians say Malek Shahin had come to protest against the arrest of two men in the West Bank when he was killed.
Israeli soldiers have shot dead a Palestinian teenager during a raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem.
According to residents, Malek Shahin had come to protest against the arrest of two men when he was killed on Tuesday.
The Israeli army said it opened fire after protesters attacked them with pipe bombs.
Shahin’s death and funeral later prompted a protest, as mourners marched towards the historic Rachel’s Tomb, where the confrontation with the Israeli military kicked off.
That street has become a flashpoint of confrontation over the last few months as Palestinian youth vent their anger and frustration over the occupation, Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from West Jerusalem, said.
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“When you speak to them, many of them will tell you that they feel like the world has forgotten them,” she said, referring to the Palestinian protesters.
“There’s a simmering frustration here that is becoming a norm.”
She described the situation in the occupied territories as “very tense”.
In a second arrest raid on Tuesday, Israeli troops detained a Palestinian in the West Bank city of Ramallah in connection with a stabbing incident in October, the military said.
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Violent incidents have become a daily occurrence in the West Bank, Israel and Jerusalem in the past two months, as an increasing number of right-wing Jews visit East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque compound – Islam’s third holiest site, which is also revered by Jews as the location of two destroyed biblical-era temples.
Since October 1, Israeli troops or armed settlers have killed at least 105 Palestinians, including suspected attackers, unarmed bystanders and protesters.
At least 19 Israelis and one US citizen have also been killed by Palestinians in stabbing or shooting incidents.
Palestinians are frustrated over a peacemaking process, deadlocked since early 2014, while Israel persists on adding to settlements in the dozens of enclaves it has built on land siezed in the 1967 Middle East war.
International condemnation of Israel’s actions in the occupied territory has also intensified and foreign powers have expressed concern over what they say is excessive use of force.
On Sunday, relations between Sweden and Israel deteriorated further after Israel said Sweden’s foreign minister accused it of unlawful killings and the Swedish government responded by saying that the comments had been “blown out of reasonable proportion”.
On Saturday, John Kerry, US secretary of state, said settlement-building raised questions about Israel’s long-term intentions.