Germany says Palestinian man’s killers must be held to account
‘Violence cannot be tolerated,’ Berlin says, as authorities probe West Bank clash in which Hamdi Na’asan was shot, apparently by a settler
Germany on Monday expressed concern over the death of a Palestinian man believed to have been shot by a settler during a West Bank clash, and called on Israel to bring those responsible to justice.
Settlers and Palestinians have given conflicting accounts on the fatal confrontation outside a village north of Ramallah.
“We are grieved and concerned by the fatal attack on a 38-year-old Palestinian father near Ramallah,” the German foreign office said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family. Violence, regardless of which side commits it, cannot be tolerated. The perpetrators must be held to account.”
Germany’s comments joined those of UN Mideast envoy Nikolay Mladenov, who on Sunday called the death of Hamdi Na’asan “shocking and unacceptable,” and urged Israel to “put an end to settler violence and bring those responsible to justice.”
Na’asan, 38, was killed Saturday near the Ramallah-area village of Mughayyir. Local Palestinians said settlers fatally shot Na’asan during a clash they initiated, while residents of the nearby illegal outpost of Adei Ad claimed their security guards fired shots in the air to chase away Palestinian attackers who had stabbed a Jewish man.
The unnamed wounded settler has told Hadashot news he was attacked by several Palestinians who tried to kidnap him outside Adei Ad but he managed to escape and call the security team, who then gave chase to the assailants. Residents of the village of Mughayyir have said settlers arrived at the outskirts of their community and simply started shooting.
As the clash developed, loudspeakers on the village mosque announced that “the village of Mughayyir is being attacked by settlers. Everyone come to defend the village,” according to the television report.
Several Palestinians were wounded in the incident, one of them seriously.
Both the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police have said they opened investigations into the incident and summoned all 20 members of Adei Ad’s local security team on Sunday to hear their account of the deadly altercation.
But Haaretz reported Monday that no members of the group were questioned under caution and their weapons were not examined by investigators.
Many settlements have civilian security teams composed of residents who are usually army veterans. The teams train regularly and serve as a first-response unit to security incidents until the IDF or police arrive at the scene.
Over the weekend, the IDF said there were initial indications that a settler from Adei Ad had a “physical confrontation” with several Palestinians and was slightly hurt.
“Shortly thereafter, a conflict erupted between Israeli civilians and Palestinians in the area, in which live rounds were fired by the civilians,” the IDF said in a statement. “One Palestinian died and several others are injured.”
It said that troops responding to the altercation used “riot dispersal means” to break up the disturbance, not live ammunition.
Several Adei Ad residents told the Walla news site Sunday that soldiers did use live ammunition at the scene, contradicting the army’s version of events.
The residents said that when the civilian security team pursued the alleged attackers back to Mughayyir, they were set upon by “many Palestinians,” and only fired shots in the air after “they felt their lives were in danger.”
AFP contributed to this report.
