Unintended Gunfight Between Israeli, Palestinian Troops Leads to 2 Officers’ Deaths

Two Palestinian security officers were killed Thursday near the city of Jenin by Israeli soldiers, in a botched arrest of two other Palestinian men wanted for terrorism. Lt. Adham Aliwi, 23, and Capt. Taysir Issa, 33, were members of the Palestinian Authority’s Military Intelligence Unit, which is tasked with coordinating military activity with Israeli forces stationed in the West Bank territories. The tragic and extremely rare mishap occurred after an Israeli army unit cornered two suspects said to be members of an Islamic Jihad terror cell outside PA intelligence headquarters. In the ensuing confusion and gunfight, Aliwi, Issa, and one of the suspects were killed. Israeli operations in the West Bank are usually coordinated with Palestinian law enforcement, which is careful not to intervene in the military’s affairs. PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday condemned Israel for the two officers’ death, calling it “a flagrant breach of international law” and warning it would lead to “severe tensions and escalation.”