Palestinians claim Israeli motorist shot dead stone-thrower as Arab stoning attacks escalate

Israeli settlers shot dead a 15-year-old Palestinian youth in the West Bank overnight Thursday after their car was pelted with stones, Palestinian security sources claimed. The IDF confirmed that the teen's body had been found, but said the cause of death remains unclear. Local journalist Samer Shalaby said other teens who were with the boy admitted they were throwing stones at cars, and came under fire from one or more settlers, who apparently were not pleased to be attacked while driving at high speed.

According to a Palestinian source, witnesses said Ayssar Yasser, from the village of Mizra el Sharquieh, near Ramallah, in the north of the West Bank, was shot and killed after the settlers opened fire when their car was stoned. Israeli police also confirmed the boy's death and said they were investigating the cause. Spokesman Gili Elhadad said police received reports of stone-throwing and gunshots in the area. The incident took place on Highway 60 at around 7 pm.

A joint Israeli-Palestinian task force comprised of police representatives and physicians has been set up to investigate the circumstances of the boy's death. Some two months ago a 16-year-old Palestinian was killed in a village near Nablus during a clash with IDF soldiers. The army said Palestinians threw dozens of stones at forces operating in the village, adding that soldiers responded with crowd-dispersing means but did not use live fire.

Also Thursday, a Jewish family from the outpost of Kida said it survived a "lynching attempt" near Silwan on Jerusalem Day. The Yakobi family filed a complaint stating that Palestinians pelted their vehicle with stones near the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Wednesday. The family claimed that after it managed to escape the scene, officers near the site refused to chase the assailants. A group of 60 settlers from Shilo who also participated in the Jerusalem Day march said they were pelted with stones by Arab residents of the Shufat Refugee Camp, north of Jerusalem.During the incident a 20-year-old settler fired warning shots in the air. Security forces eventually rescued the group of settlers.

It is possible that the fatal incident reflected growing frustration that potential lethal attacks are not being taken seriously by seurity forces, except when the forces themseves come under attack.