IDF kills four unarmed Palestinians in West Bank

Two Palestinians were killed by Israel Defense Forces fire yesterday morning south of the West Bank city of Nablus, the second such incident in a 24-hour period in which four Palestinians were killed by IDF fire.

Troops apprehended the Palestinians, both 19, after settlers alerted them to the men's presence. The sergeant in charge said he fired the fatal shots after one of the men lunged at him with a glass bottle, and the other with a syringe he had found on the ground. The army will likely launch an investigation into at least one of the incidents. Advertisement


The incident occurred yesterday morning when Avri Ran, a settler living in the settlement outpost of Gidonim, spotted two Palestinians passing nearby. Ran alerted the outpost security coordinator, who in turn contacted the military.

An IDF Humvee arrived carrying four soldiers from Kfir's Nachshon Battalion under the command of a sergeant. The troops apprehended the Palestinians and seized two pickaxes they were carrying (one witness said the security coordinator himself confiscated them).

The Palestinians said they had been searching for metal next to a waterway with the intention of selling it. The sergeant asked for identification, but was told they had none. Instead, the Palestinians told him their identification numbers and he radioed them in to headquarters.

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Controversial Opening of Synagogue

The Hurva synagogue was reopened officially on Monday after five years of reconstruction [AFP]

Israel has stepped up security in occupied Jerusalem amid the reopening of what many Jews consider as one of the most important places of worship.

The rebuilt Hurva synagogue opened its doors in Jerusalem's Old City for the first time in more than 60 years on Monday.

The synagogue, first built in 1694, was first destroyed in 1721 and then demolished during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

The walled Old City is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which makes the reopening of the synagogue controversial.

Al-Aqsa, Islam's third holiest site, and the Hurva are about just 700 metres apart.

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Clashes in East Jerusalem

Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police who responded with stun grenades in the Shuafat and Essawiyya neighbourhoods early on Tuesday.

At least 90 people were wounded in the clashes, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, with around 15 people seriously hurt by rubber-coated steel bullets, teargas inhalation and at the hands of Israeli police.

Israel security forces said about eight police officers were lightly injured in clashes that ended with up to 60 arrests.

About 3,000 police officers had been deployed in East Jerusalem and nearby villages after Hamas and other Palestinian groups called for action in response to the reopening of the Hurva synagogue.

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What have Muslims done in since 9-11 to denounce Terrorism

In Iran, they observed a minute's silence for the victims of 9/11. Ayatollah Imami Kashani said this act of terrorism could only be condemned by all Muslims, adding that the whole world should mobilise against terrorism. On September 18th, Iranians held a vigil on the streets of Tehran. They lit candles, prayed for the victims, and condemned terrorism.

In Bangladesh and Indonesia they held rallies condemning terrorism.

Palestinian organizations strongly condemned the terrorist attack. Palestinians held candle light vigils on September 12th and 14th to express their grief and solidarity with Americans. Close to a million Palestinian students stood for five minutes in silence, to express their solidarity for American children who were struck by the tragedy. Palestinian university students in East Jerusalem began a blood drive to donate blood to the victims of 9/11.

In Kuwait, they sent so many flowers in sympathy to the American Embassy, it formed a ring around the embassy.

Every leader, from every Muslim country, except Iraq, condemned the terrorist attack and denounced terrorism, along with thousands of Muslim organizations and scholars around the world.

American Muslims held a rally in Washington attended by thousands to condemn terrorism.

Here in the United States, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), American Muslim Alliance, American Muslim Council, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Muslim American Society, Islamic Society of North America, Islamic Circle of North America, Muslim Alliance in North America, and American Muslims for Jerusalem all condemned the attacks and denounced terrorism. These groups represent most of the seven million Muslims in the United States. None of it made national headlines, just local headlines.

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