Palestinian officer shot dead by Israeli soldiers

Nablus (Reuters) – A Palestinian motorist fired a pistol at Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday and was killed by them, a military spokesman said, and Palestinians identified the dead man as an officer in their security forces.

There were no Israeli casualties in the incident at a roadside military position near the Palestinian city of Nablus.

A Palestinian security official named the dead man as Bilal Rawajba, a Preventive Security Service officer and resident of a village outside Nablus. Rawajba had been expected to drive from home to his workplace on Wednesday, the official said.

Preventive Security is among Palestinian security services that have often cooperated with Israel in keeping a cap on West Bank violence that has simmered since diplomacy between the sides stalled in 2014.

President Mahmoud Abbas called off the security coordination in May, however, in protest at Israel’s plan – since shelved – to annex parts of the West Bank, among territories where Palestinians seek statehood.

Palestinian medical officials could not immediately retrieve Rawajba’s body. A military spokesman said it was in Israeli custody.