Palestinian killed in Gaza clash; new Hebron riot

July 2, 1997
Web posted at: 11:06 a.m. EDT (1506 GMT)

DEIR EL BALAH, Gaza Strip (CNN) -- Israeli troops battling dozens of rock-throwers during a land dispute in the Gaza Strip shot dead a Palestinian teen-ager on Wednesday.

In a separate Palestinian protest in the West Bank town of Hebron, soldiers pelted with stones and firebombs shot rubber bullets and live ammunition, wounding at least 17 Arabs.

The violence in Palestinian-ruled Gaza began when a dozen bulldozers, guarded by troops, cleared land near the Jewish settlement of Gush Katif.

Palestinians, claiming the land was privately owned, began throwing stones, and soldiers responded with live rounds and rubber bullets.

Soldiers and civilians clash in the Gaza Strip. 552K/12 sec. QuickTime movie 1.4M/12 sec. large-frame QuickTime movie

Maher Assar, 18, was seriously wounded in the chest, and died later of his injuries, said doctors at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The Israeli army said the disputed land lay in an area under full Israeli security and civilian control.

Hebron violence

In Hebron, Israeli snipers perched on rooftops fired live rounds at Palestinian rioters to stop a deluge of stones and firebombs.

Four Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, were wounded by live fire in the legs, and 13 were hit by rubber bullets.

Wednesday marked the first time in weeks that Israeli troops used live ammunition in Hebron. An Israeli army spokesman said live ammunition is used only when rioting threatens soldiers' lives.

On Tuesday, two Israeli soldiers were seriously wounded in Hebron when a pipe bomb blew up under them.

Yasser Arafat's West Bank security chief, Jibril Rajoub, warned that the violence would intensify unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carried out the peace agreements already signed.

Rajoub said Palestinian police would make no effort to stop the rioting. "We are not in charge of guarding Netanyahu's policies against the Palestinian people," he said.

The latest Hebron violence was triggered in part by an Israeli woman who made up leaflets depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a pig and posted them on Arab shops over the weekend.

Israeli-Palestinian clashes have occurred almost daily since March when Israel began work on a Jewish settlement on disputed land in the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem.

Correspondent Jerrold Kessel and Reuters contributed to this report.

 

• Message Board: Palestine - Land of Conflict
• Newsmaker Profile: Benjamin Netanyahu - Israeli Prime Minister
• Newsmaker Profile: Yasser Arafat - Palestinian Leader

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