Israeli Civilians in Lethal Clash with Palestinians

A melee between Israeli civilians and Palestinians turned violent on Saturday and ended with one dead and nine wounded. The fatality was described by Palestinians as a 38-year old father of four. Israeli military acknowledged that civilians marched on the village of al-Mughayer, near Ramallah, where a skirmish broke out and turned violent, during which the Israelis fired live ammunition. Calm was restored when the Israeli army dispersed the crowd. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the incident an “escalation” by the Israeli government, while the civilians claimed the clash erupted after a Palestinian stabbed a Jewish resident of the nearby Israeli community of Adei Ad, creating what residents said was a feeling of “acute danger.” Israeli soldiers and border police arrived on the scene after the melee began and first responders from Adei Ad showed up with guns firing in the air. Apparently, as some point the gunfire turned lethal, the Palestinians accusing the Israelis of shooting toward residences.