JERUSALEM - An Israeli soldier died after
being struck in the head by a rock thrown from a rooftop during
an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the
military said.
The incident was a departure from a relative lull in lethal
violence in the West Bank as Palestinians and Israelis have
curbed movements and, to a degree, cooperated on measures in
response to the coronavirus crisis.
But tensions are stirring as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu plans to swear in on Thursday a new coalition
government whose agenda includes a possible declaration of
sovereignty over Jewish settlements and the strategic Jordan
Valley in the West Bank - a de facto annexation.
The Israeli military said the soldier, a 21-year-old
conscript, was struck in the head by a rock thrown from a
rooftop in Yabad village, near Jenin, as his special-forces unit
withdrew after detaining four Palestinians.
"Israel's long arm will reach the terrorist and settle the
score with him," Netanyahu said on Twitter.
בשמי ובשם אזרחי ישראל אני מבקש לשלוח תנחומים כנים למשפחתו של עמית בן יגאל שנרצח הלילה בפעילות מבצעית ע"י בן עוולה. יהי זכרו ברוך.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) May 12, 2020
כפי שקרה בכל המקרים בשנים האחרונות - ידה הארוכה של ישראל תגיע למחבל ותבוא עמו חשבון. pic.twitter.com/C0TyfUOS0i
The Palestinians detained in Yabad are suspected of having
previously thrown rocks at Israeli cars on a nearby road, and
other security offences, the military spokesman said.
There were no immediate reports of Palestinian casualties in
Tuesday's incident.
The Palestinians want the West Bank for a future state and
deem Israeli settlements there illegal, as do most world powers.
Israel and the United States dispute that view.
US-backed peace talks broke down in 2014.