Palestinian Nationalists Believed Behind Cab Driver’s Murder Thursday

The murder of an Israeli taxi driver in the West Bank sent infuriated Jewish settlers rampaging through nearby Arab villages, which were placed under curfew after the crime.

Settlers and their supporters in the Knesset renewed their demands for more drastic security measures.

Shimon Edri, 42, was shot to death Thursday at a crossroads near the settlement of Yakir, southwest of Nablus in Samaria. His assailants fled in his taxi, which was later found abandoned less than two miles from the scene of the killing.

Several arrests were reported. However, the police have not solved the case. Initially they suspected criminal motivation because of the victim’s shady background.

But by Sunday they were blaming Palestinian nationalists.

Police investigators conjectured that the killers hailed Edri’s cab in Ra’anana, asked to be driven to Tel Aviv, but then forced him to drive to the Yakir area.

Edri’s torn jeans and jacket found near his body showed signs of a struggle. One bullet entered his chest and another his abdomen.

Robbery was ruled out, because his wallet containing 850 shekels ($530) and $20 in cash was untouched.

The Israel Defense Force clamped curfews on the nearby villages of Hares, Deir Istya and Karawat Bani Hassan.

Palestinian sources reported that scores of Jewish settlers raided Hares, smashing windows and windshields. They also demonstrated on the trans-Samaria highway.

The incident led to an angry exchange at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting between Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

The Gush Emunim issued a statement expressing outrage over “the murder of Jews in the territories and the failure of the government to cope with the problem.”

The militant settlers’ group said it would set up a new settlement near the scene of Edri’s murder, even if the government does not approve.