Ukraine in Arabic | Palestinian official died after being struck by Israeli troops
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ A senior Palestinian cabinet minister has died after clashes between demonstrators and Israeli troops during a protest in the West Bank.
Mahmoud Aloul, a leading member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, said Ziad Abu Ein died shortly after the incident near the West Bank village of Turmus Aya.
Several witnesses said the minister had been hit and shoved by soldiers. One said he had been hit in the chest by a tear-gas canister fired by them.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
The incident comes at a time of rising tensions between in the region.
In recent weeks, 11 Israelis were killed by Palestinians, including five stabbed and shot at a synagogue in Jerusalem. Thirteen Palestinians were also killed, among them several assailants.
'Barbaric act'
Mr Abu Ein, a minister without portfolio, was among dozens of foreign and Palestinian activists who took part in a protest on Tuesday morning against land confiscations organized by the government-run Committee to Resist Settlements and the Wall.
They had planned to plant olive tree saplings on a patch of land near the Jewish settlement of Shilo, which Palestinians believe has been earmarked for annexation by Israel.
In the course of the protest, they came into confrontation with a group of about 15 Israeli soldiers.
Mahmoud Aloul, a leading member of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, told the Associated Press the soldiers had fired tear gas at the protesters and had beaten some of them with rifle butts.
At one point, Mr Abu Ein was hit by a tear gas canister, Mr Aloul said.
The Reuters photographer said he had seen Mr Abu Ein being struck by a hand to the neck during an altercation with two of the soldiers. An AFP news agency photographer said the minister had been hit in the chest.
Photos of the incident showed Mr Abu Ein lying unconscious before he was removed from the scene in an ambulance. He died before reaching hospital in the nearby city of Ramallah.
The director of the Ramallah hospital told the AFP news agency that Mr Abu Ein had been "martyred after being beaten in the
There are reports that Mr Abu Ein had a health condition that may have contributed to his death.
Palestinians are likely to see the exact cause of death as a secondary issue, and it will serve to sharpen political tensions.
President Abbas condemned "the brutal assault" that led to Mr Abu Ein's
"We will take the necessary measures after the results of the investigation into the incident," he added.
A senior Palestinian official said the Palestinian Authority would halt security coordination with Israel.
