Palestinian killed in clash with IDF in Hebron amid Jerusalem embassy protests


A Palestinian man was killed in clashes on Friday with the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian health ministry said, as hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated against the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Mohammed al-Jabari, 24, was shot during the clashes and later died in hospital, the ministry said.


The Israeli army said a “riot” had broken out in Hebron and that protesters had attacked soldiers.
“Troops fired live rounds towards a main instigator who held a firebomb with the intent to hurl it,” a spokesman said, adding an investigation had been launched.
Some Palestinian media reported he Jabari was deaf. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said he had disabilities, without further details. In December IDF soldiers killed a legless Palestinian man protesting near the Gaza border, Palestinian officials said, causing an international outcry.
During the violent demonstrations, Palestinians threw rocks and fire bombs at the soldiers who responded with riot dispersal means. There were no reports of injuries to IDF forces.
Two other Palestinians were reported wounded by live fire in clashes near Ramallah in the West Bank, while violent clashes were also reported along the border fence with Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said four people were wounded, one of them seriously.

Palestinian groups have called for clashes with Israeli forces to protest the US administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate the US embassy to the city.
On December 6, US President Donald Trump bucked decades of US foreign policy by formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and setting in motion plans to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. In February the US administration announced that it would open its Jerusalem embassy in May 2018 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited Trump to visit Israel for the occasion.
Trump’s decision, welcomed by Israel, has been condemned by leaders and foreign ministers across the world, who have said the city’s status should be determined through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. A number of Muslim leaders have warned the move may lead to violence.