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Israel Re-imposes Closure on Nablus After Shooting Attack
The Israeli army re-imposed a closure on the northern West Bank city of Nablus following Tuesday morning's shooting attack against an Israeli settler, the army said.
Gilad Zar, who was security officer of the regional council of Shomeron in the West Bank, was shot dead by Palestinian gunmen while driving near the village of Jitt, east of the Kedumim settlement in Nablus.
The gunmen were believed to have fled to Palestinian-controlled areas.
Israeli radio said that sappers were defusing several explosive devices planted by the gunmen in the vicinity before fleeing.
Zar, who was seriously wounded two months ago when gunmen fired on his car in southern Nablus, was shot in the head, and died of injuries en route to hospital.
Earlier in the day, Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement claimed responsibility for the killing.
Israeli army radio quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the killing of Zar was in revenge for what they called the assassination of a Fatah activist in Nablus last weekend.
Enraged settler leaders called on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to end a limited unilateral ceasefire he declared last week.
The radio also said that following the shooting attack, Israeli settlers rioted and stoned Palestinians in central Hebron in the West Bank. Zar's two siblings live in the area.
The settlers overturned vegetable stalls and smashed the camera of a Palestinian photographer working for a foreign news agency. So far, no injuries on both sides have been reported.
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