Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Man Near West Bank Outpost

A Palestinian man was killed Tuesday evening when a soldier fired on him near the illegal outpost of Evyatar, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The man, identified in Palestinian media as 41-year-old Shadi Amr Lutfi Salim, was a municipal employee responsible for water engineering in the West Bank town of Beita, which is located next to the Evyatar outpost. The Israeli military said he had quickly approached soldiers on a routine patrol in the area, brandishing an iron bar. The soldiers fired a warning shot in the air, and when he failed to stop, the commander fired at him. Beita has been the scene of repeated violent clashes over the past several months between Palestinians protesting against the establishment of Evyatar and Israeli forces, but no clashes were reported on Tuesday before the shooting. Violent protests did erupt in Beita after Salim was shot, resulting in 106 injuries to Palestinian demonstrators, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Salim is the seventh Palestinian killed in the area since March. Israeli settlers vacated the outpost after reaching an agreement with the Israeli government according to which the existing buildings, protected by a continued Israeli military presence, would remain on the site while the Defense Ministry reviews the legal status of the area.