NABI SALEH: A Palestinian was killed by Zionist fire in the occupied West Bank yesterday, both sides said, during what witnesses described as a confrontation between protesters and Zionist troops. The Palestinian health ministry said only that a Palestinian "citizen” was killed by Zionist fire in Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah.

Residents identified the victim as Nehad Bargouthi, 19, who was shot as local youths hurled stones at Zionist forces. He "was assassinated in cold blood and in broad daylight,” his brother Ihab Bargouthi said. People from Bargouthi’s village of Kafr Ein, which is a short distance from Nabi Saleh, said he had been imprisoned in 2018 and was recently released.

According to his brother, he is "a former prisoner and wounded person... the occupation knows him well”. Ihab Bargouthi added: "There were confrontations in the village of Al-Nabi Saleh. Nehad goes to participate in any confrontations he hears about.” The killing comes less than two days after another teenager was killed by Zionist gunfire near the flashpoint West Bank town of Jenin.

Mohammed Abu Salah, 17, was shot during clashes that erupted as Zionist forces late Sunday were destroying the home of a Palestinian they accused of carrying out the December killing of a Zionist settler in the West Bank. In another case last week, special Zionist forces killed three Palestinians during a daytime raid, leaving a vehicle in the West Bank city of Nablus riddled with bullet holes.

The Zionist entity has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. About 475,000 Zionist settlers now live in the territory, in communities widely regarded as illegal under international law, a situation which also fuels tensions with the West Bank’s nearly 2.9 million Palestinians. Deadly incidents are common, often during clashes between Palestinians and Zionist troops.

The Palestinian Authority has civilian control over parts of the West Bank. Ties between the Authority, led by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and the Zionist entity remain fraught. There have, however, been signs of a thaw in recent months following a series of high-level meetings, including Zionist Defense Minister Benny Gantz hosting Abbas at his home. – AFP