(JTA) — An imam was shot dead by Israeli troops during clashes Friday with Palestinian rioters in the West Bank, the Palestinian media reported.
The riots erupted during a march by Palestinians around Beit Dajan, near Nablus, by protesters of what they called land confiscations by Israel — a reference to a nearby settlement that according to Haaretz was built without a permit.
The imam was identified as Atef Youssef Hanaisheh, 45, Maan news reported. He was wearing a Palestinian flag around his shoulders when he died, and other protesters posed for pictures afterward with the bloodied flag.
One of the protest organizers, Nasser Abu al-Jish, told Haaretz that Hanaisheh was an imam at one of the community’s mosques.
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