Tensions in the West Bank mounted Sunday after a shooting incident in the city of Nablus killed one Israeli and wounded four others.
A Palestinian policeman opened fire when a group of Israelis entered Joseph's Tomb, a Jewish holy site in the West Bank city of Nablus, early Sunday without "proper permits," according to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) statement.
Dozens of masked Israeli youths stoned Palestinian cars near the West Bank village of Hawara, and Palestinian youths clashed with Israeli soldiers around Joseph's Tomb shortly after the shooting, according to local witness and media.
Israeli rightists have vowed that the settlers intend to take vengeance over the Nablus shooting, Israeli news site Ynet reported.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday condemned the shooting, saying "no coordination mishap justifies this kind of outcome or the shooting of innocent people," according to a statement by Barak's office.
Palestinian officials have notified IDF that the Palestinian policeman fired "after identifying suspicious movements," the Israeli army said, adding that senior IDF and Palestinian security officials are scheduled to meet to examine the incident.
The Palestinian policemen who guard the holy site are being questioned, and the Palestinian authority has launched an investigation into the shooting, Palestinian officials said.
The shooting happened after five Israelis were stabbed to death last month in Itamar, a West Bank settlement near Nablus.
Front Page Features