Later in the day, Israeli border guards shot and killed a Palestinian near the West Bank city of Nablus.
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Clashes broke out as troops attempted to raid the house of Muhammad Shubaki, a 19-year-old killed after stabbing an Israeli soldier.
Yehya Taha, 21, was shot in the head and later died, according to Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman Mohammed Awawdeh.
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that Israel assumes the responsibility of the Palestinian youth reactions, in reference to the current wave of violence that has been flaring between Palestinians and Israel since October. Israeli forces have killed 90 Palestinians, some while carrying out assaults and others in clashes with police and troops.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, whose bid to broker a deal on Palestinian statehood alongside Israel stalled in early 2014, visited on Tuesday for talks with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how to stem the violence. The Palestinians say it is rooted in frustrations over Israel’s long occupation. Palestinians also accuse Israel of using excessive force in suppressing violence.
The security cabinet held marathon discussions over the past several days over the possibility of the Palestinian Authority collapsing and what Israel should do if such an event were to occur, Haaretz reported.
The Israeli army said clashes erupted during a military operation in the town, claiming local residents threw stones and firebombs at the force, and that soldiers reciprocated with riots dispersal means, including live fire.
An Israeli official said government officials, however, have rejected the military’s proposals. The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967, as the heartland of their future state. He pointed out that the army is considering and recommending a number of measures to ease the difficulties facing Palestinians in daily life, as well as some to bolster the power of the PA security services in the occupied West Bank.
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Thursday’s incident at Zaatara marks the third Palestinian to be shot dead at checkpoints around Nablus this week.
