The army says the 18-year-old was throwing rocks at passing cars ■ General strike called in East Jerusalem ■ Two Palestinians significantly injured in clashes with Israeli security forces in West Bank
A Palestinian was killed on Wednesday afternoon by Israeli military fire in the Al-Aroub refugee camp near Bethlehem, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
The deceased was identified as 18-year-old Mahmoud Adwai, a resident of the camp.
Two other Palestinians were reportedly significantly injured in clashes near Ramallah, and stone-throwing at Israeli forces was ongoing in the Isawiyah area of East Jerusalem. Forces responded with stun grenades.
Over the past few nights, Israeli police have patrolled the streets of the Shoafat refugee camp in search of Adi Tamimi, the suspect in the checkpoint shooting of Israeli soldier Noa Lazar in North-East Jerusalem last Saturday night, and arrested his family members along with additional suspects.
Residents of the camp clashed with soldiers and hurled firecrackers at them, and the police used tear gas and rubber bullets.
Following the checkpoint shooting, Israeli forces blocked the exits from the camp, preventing tens of thousands of Palestinians from entering Jerusalem for work. The camp residents, most of whom hold Israeli ID cards, claimed this was a form of collective punishment. The police opened the checkpoints on Tuesday but enforced strict security checks, making it difficult for anyone to pass through and leading to extremely long lines.
Palestinians in East Jerusalem launched a general strike on Wednesday to protest the crackdown. Schools and shops closed across East Jerusalem, including in the Old City. Some protestors blocked roads and burned tires. The strike was not completely observed and some businesses remained open. Israel’s Transport Ministry announced that traffic to and from the capital will be affected following the decision of several Palestinian bus drivers not to come to work and a result of the heavy security checks.
The Israeli army also blocked all entrances to the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday morning, limiting transit in only three locations and requiring a security check. The decision to block the entrances was based on the army’s assessment that most of those responsible for recent shooting attacks in the West Bank were from the city, and fled to it afterwards.
On Tuesday, Sgt. Ido Baruch was shot to death at an IDF position near the settlement of Shavei Shomron, north of Nablus. Security footage showed that the shooting was carried out from a passing vehicle. The shooters are still at large.
The Nablus-based “Lion’s den” organization, which includes hundreds of young people from various Palestinian organizations, took responsibility for the shooting and said that this was just the beginning of the “days of rage.”