Israel’s defense establishment is investigating a report received by the IDF on Friday from Palestinian Authority sources, claiming that a Palestinian Arab man with American citizenship was killed during a violent clash between Jews and Palestinian Arabs in the village of Sinjil, near Ramallah.
According to the reports, the man died after being struck in the head with a club. Security forces arrived at the scene.
Responding to the incident, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said, “Earlier today (Friday), terrorists hurled rocks at Israeli civilians adjacent to Sinjil. As a result, two Israeli civilians were lightly injured. Shortly after, a violent confrontation developed in the area involving Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and rock hurling.”
“We are aware of reports regarding a Palestinian civilian killed and a number of injured Palestinians as a result of the confrontation, and they are being looked into by the ISA and Israel Police,” the IDF said.
“Upon receiving the reports, IDF, Israel Police and Israel Border Police forces were dispatched to the scene in order to disperse the confrontation. The forces used riot dispersal means in response to the violent confrontation, and all of the rioters dispersed.”
“The IDF and security forces remain committed to maintaining order and the safety of all of the area’s residents and operate against all acts of violence within their area of responsibility,” the statement clarified.
The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry claimed that the deceased, a 23-year-old resident of al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, “was violently attacked by settlers.”
Palestinian Arab sources further claimed that ten others were injured in the confrontation.
The clashes erupted as a group of Palestinian Arabs were making their way to Khirbet al-Tal to protest the establishment of a new illegal Israeli outpost that had been built on the village’s land. The PA’s official news agency Wafa claimed that dozens of “settlers” blocked the Arabs from trying to reach the area and began attacking them.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)