Palestinian teen killed in West Bank clash with IDF

Army says youth was about to hurl Molotov cocktail at traffic; incident comes after clashes with police in East Jerusalem

Palestinian youth take cover behind a wall as they hurl stones at Israeli policemen during a protest in the neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz in East Jerusalem on September 7, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)
Palestinian youth take cover behind a wall as they hurl stones at Israeli policemen during a protest in the neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz in East Jerusalem on September 7, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

A Palestinian teenager was shot dead by IDF forces in the West Bank village of Silwad, near Ramallah, on Friday evening.

According to Palestinian media reports, Orwa Abd El-Wahab Hammad, 14, was killed after Friday prayers in the town. A relative of the teen said he was a US citizen.

The IDF said the teenager was 17 and was shot as he was about to hurl a Molotov cocktail at oncoming traffic on Highway 60 in the West Bank, endangering lives.

“The forces fired immediately to neutralize the danger … and confirmed a hit,” an IDF spokeswoman told AFP.

Another 12 Palestinians were wounded in the clashes, a hospital official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

The IDF said it was investigating the incident, Ynet reported.

Earlier Friday, three Palestinians were arrested by police during rioting in the Wadi Joz neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

The suspects were throwing rocks and fireworks at police after the conclusion of prayers on the Temple Mount.

Police responded with crowd dispersal methods, according to officials.

There were no reports of injuries from the incident.

On Thursday, police dispersed a similar crowd of rioters in the neighborhood. No injuries were reported at that incident, but the stones caused damage to a vehicle.

Security forces were on high alert Friday throughout East Jerusalem as well as the Old City ahead of what was expected to be a volatile day following a week of Arab rioting and violence in the capital.

Police limited entry to the Temple Mount compound to males 40 and up and women of any age, after receiving information that Arab youths intended to foment unrest in the area after the conclusion of Friday prayers. Police officials warned they would show “zero tolerance” for unruly behavior.

The forces included police, Border Police and several special units. Medical teams were also on high alert throughout the city, officials said.

Tensions flared in the capital Thursday in the wake of a Wednesday terrorist attack on a Jerusalem light rail station in which three-month-old Chaya Zissel Braun was killed and eight others were injured.

Jerusalem’s mayor called for a crackdown against the wave of Palestinian unrest. In a Thursday interview, Mayor Nir Barkat said the violence had become intolerable, and he vowed to restore order.

Adiv Sterman contributed to this report.

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