Palestinian shot dead in W.Bank

IDF kills likely criminal infiltrating Barkan settlement.

By YAAKOV KATZ
idf soldiers 311 (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
idf soldiers 311
(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
IDF troops shot and killed a Palestinian attempting to infiltrate the settlement of Barkan in the West Bank early Thursday morning.
The Israeli force had laid an ambush near the settlement, located not far from Kalkilya, after a number of attempted infiltrations had been reported in recent weeks.
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An initial investigation of the incident by the regional IDF commander concluded that the attempted infiltration was likely of a criminal and not terrorist nature.
During the night, the military force detected a number of Palestinians in the vicinity of Barkan. Suspecting one of them was armed, the soldiers called on them to stop, and when ignored, opened fire at their feet.
When the Palestinians did not stop, the soldiers then opened fire at their upper bodies, in line with IDF fire regulations.
One Palestinian was killed, and others fled the area. The IDF is conducting searches for the other members of the group.
Head of Civil Administration Brig.-Gen Yoav Mordechai spoke early Thursday with the Palestinian commanders in the Kalkilya region and urged them to restrain their forces and the local Palestinian population in response to the incident.
Mordechai and the Palestinian commanders also agreed to establish a joint team to investigate the incident. The Palestinian commander had already toured the scene of the shooting early Thursday.
Over the past two years, the IDF has noted a sharp decline in Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank, particularly in attempted infiltration in settlements, due to a combined effort by the IDF as well as Palestinian forces to curb terror in the area.
IDF kills 2 terrorists on Gaza border
Violence also broke out along the Gaza border in a similar incident on Wednesday.
After weeks of relative quiet, clashes erupted along the border with the Gaza Strip as IDF troops opened fire at a terrorist cell approaching the border fence.
Two Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded by Israeli gunfire near Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip. The dead men were reportedly known Islamic Jihad operatives.
The cell, consisting of several men, was seen approaching the border. IDF commanders authorized a nearby tank to open fire, fearing that the cell planned to launch an anti-tank missile at soldiers who were patrolling the border.
Since Operation Cast Lead 19 months ago, the IDF has noted a sharp drop in the number of terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip, and particularly in the number of rockets fired at Israeli communities.
IDF sources have warned, however, that while Hamas and Islamic Jihad have cut back their rocket attacks, they are still plotting large-scale attacks along the border.