Israelis kill Palestinian in West Bank mosque arrest

Israeli troops shot dead a 21-year-old Palestinian man yesterday during an arrest operation in the occupied West Bank.

The man, identified by Palestinians as a university student called Ibrahim Sarhan, was shot twice in the thigh and bled to death. Israel said that he was fleeing arrest.

The first such deadly incident in nearly six months comes at a time of heightened tensions in the West Bank. Many fear the situation is set to get worse if the Palestinians seek recognition of a state on 1967 borders at the UN in September, even though any move towards membership is bound to fail in the face of resistance from Washington.

Israeli troops entered the al-Fara refugee camp north-east of Nablus yesterday morning, and attempted to arrest suspects coming out of a mosque. Clashes reportedly ensued. Mr Sarhan, a member of the militant group Hamas, then apparently ran away, and the Israelis shot him in the lower body.