Palestinian dies after being shot during protest

Rushdi Tamimi, 31 dies in Ramallah after he was shot by an IDF soldier during clashes in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh.

By BEN HARTMAN
Tamimi shot 370 (photo credit: YouTube Screenshot)
Tamimi shot 370
(photo credit: YouTube Screenshot)
Palestinian activist Abir Kopty of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee reported Monday that a Palestinian died in a Ramallah hospital two days after he was shot by an IDF soldier.
The incident took place in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh during clashes at protests against Operation Pillar of Defence.
In a video released Monday, around a dozen youths can be seen throwing rocks at IDF soldiers from a hillside in the village, while the soldiers fire tear gas and what sounds like rubber bullets.
At one point, Rushdi Tamimi, 31, is seen sitting on the hillside, then shots are heard and he falls to his side. The video then cuts to footage shot by a cameraman running to help Tamimi, who is seen crouched with blood on his head. The soldiers tell the protesters to back away from the man, but after a few minutes they relent and allow the protesters to allow him to be taken to a hospital.
Kopty said that Tamimi was shot once in the lower back and the bullet lodged in his stomach. Although he was admitted to a hospital by Saturday evening, he died of his wounds, she said.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that “on Saturday there was an illegal violent protest where some 80 Palestinians threw rocks at IDF forces who used crowd dispersal methods against them.”
Click for full JPost coverage
Click for full JPost coverage
The spokesman added that the army is investigating the incident, but that so far they have received no complaint relating to the alleged shooting.
An IDF official told Post that Israeli authorities in the West Bank have contacted Palestinian medical officials in order to get a copy of the autopsy report.
The incident took place against the backdrop of the Gaza operation and fears that protests in the West Bank could become more violent in solidarity with the Palestinians and Gaza.
Over the past three years, Nabi Saleh has been the site of protests by locals against what they say is the takeover of their village spring by settlers from the neighboring settlement of Halamish.
The Tamimis are one of the main families in the village, and include protests leader Bassem Tamimi – who has been arrested repeatedly by Israeli forces; and Mustafa Tamimi – who died after he was hit in the face by a tear gas canister while chasing an IDF jeep during a protest last December.