One Israeli settler was killed and another injured Monday morning, after a Palestinian resistance group fired at their vehicle in the northern West Bank.
A 30-year-old settler who apparently was driving the car was killed. A 16-year-old passenger sustained light wounds and was transferred to an Israeli hospital, according to an Israeli military source.
The shooting took place on a settlement road near the settlement of Hermesh, adjacent to the village of Baqa al-Sharqiyya, which is located between Tulkarem and Jenin. The source stated that Palestinian gunmen fired at the vehicle from both sides of the road.
Soldiers imposed a curfew on Baqa al-Sharqiyya and conducted military searches, but no arrests were made.
The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying that it was carried out in retaliation to the desecration of the Holy Koran by Israeli soldiers in the Majeddo detention center several weeks ago.ÂÂ
Khader Adnan, an Islamic Jihad spokesperson, said that this shooting incident does not mark the end of cease-fire with Israel, and added that the movement is committed to calm.
Following the shooting, David Baker, a spokesman in Sharon’s office, said that recent attacks carried out by the resistance “showed that the Palestinian president needs to conduct greater efforts to maintain calmâ€Â.
Baker added that this shooting incident “is a proof that the P.A must conduct all measures to prevent such attacks and uproot the resistance groupsâ€Â.
