Yussuf Al-Khatib, an Arab moderate shot by terrorists last week, died of his wounds last night at the Hadassah Medical Center here. Al-Khatib, 60, was the chairman of the Ramallah Region Farmers Association which cooperated with Israeli authorities on the West Bank.
He was ambushed last Tuesday while driving to Ramallah with his son, Khazem, 23, who was killed instantly by a fusillade of bullets. The Palestine Liberation Organization in Beirut claimed responsibility for the act and repeated death threats to other Arab moderates.
Mustapha Doudin, head of the Hebron Region Famers Association, has been under 24-hour guard since the assault on the Al-Khatibs. His colleague, Bishara Kawmissiya of Bethlehem, said today that the village associations would continue to function despite the assassination of Al-Khatib and the threats to others. The associations were established with the encouragment of the Israeli Military Government to counter pro-PLO elements on the West Bank.
Scattered incidents were reported on the West Bank yesterday. Security forces used tear gas to disperse youthful Arab demonstrators in Banina village near Hebron where tires were burned and rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles. The demonstration followed complaints by villagers that Jewish settlers had smashed the headlights on their cars. Youths threw rocks at a vehicle passing the Dayaishe refugee camp yesterday slightly injuring a passenger.
Meanwhile, protests over the demolition of three houses in Beit Sahour and one in Bethlehem last week continued. Mayor Hanna Al-Atrash of Beit Sahour appeared at a Rakah (Communist) Party sponsored press conference yesterday to demand compensation. The houses were blown up because members of the owning families allegedly threw gasoline bombs at Israeli vehicles.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
