Soldiers open fire at Arab-Israeli man in West Bank checkpoint

Soldiers open fire at Arab-Israeli man in West Bank checkpoint

2011-01-21 21:52:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM (BNO NEWS) -- Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers on Thursday night opened fire at an Arab-Israeli man in a West Bank checkpoint critically injuring him, the Jerusalem Post reported on Friday.

The Arab-Israeli man was shot at an improvised IDF checkpoint near Hebron. The suspect was driving south on Route 60 near the village of Halhul when he reached a checkpoint overnight.

IDF reserve soldiers initiated arrest protocols but then shot the man. Preliminary reports indicate that the man attempted to breach the checkpoint and the soldiers opened fire in response.

However, IDF is also investigating another lead that suggests that the driver may have not noticed the checkpoint as he never reduced speed while approaching the barrier.

The suspect was severely injured and received medical care at the scene. He was later transported to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

On Thursday morning, a man was shot and killed after he opened fire at an IDF post near the Mevo Dotan settlement in northern West Bank. Sami Samoudi, 23, was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle

The Palestinian man shot at the military watchtower just before 11 a.m. local time. No injuries were reported by IDF. It was unclear whether he had links to a specific terrorist organization.

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