JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli policeman killed a Palestinian attempting to infiltrate near eastern Jerusalem.
The Palestinian laborer reportedly was among about a dozen laborers early Sunday morning who tried to jump the security fence near Jerusalem’s French Hill neighborhood, according to Jerusalem Police spokeman Micky Rosenfeld.
He was caught by a border policeman and reportedly attempted to strip the policeman of his gun. The gun fired during the struggle, killing the Palestinian, identified as a 37-year-old man from Hebron, Rosenfeld said.
The incident comes just two days after about 6,000 people demonstrated in commemoration of the October 2000 killing of 12 Israeli Arabs and a Palestinian during disturbances.
Last month, a private security guard for Jews living in a predominately Palestinian eastern Jerusalem neighborhood shot and killed a Palestinian resident of Silwan who the guard said was part of a crowd of Palestinians pelting his car with rocks. The incident touched off days of violent protest by Palestinians in Jerusalem.
