A former aide of a lawmaker from Israel’s hard-right governing coalition was among two settlers arrested on Saturday over the killing of a 19-year-old Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, Israeli media reported.
Qusai Jamal Maatan was shot dead in Burqah, east of Ramallah, on Friday as armed settlers attacked villagers.
The UN has warned of a dramatic spike in such cases since the most right-wing government in Israel’s history took power at the end of last year.
Israeli media reported that the main suspect in the deadly shooting had sustained injuries and had been admitted to hospital.
The second suspect had acted as spokesman to a member of parliament from the far-right Jewish Power party, whose leader Itamar Ben-Gvir is the public security minister in the coalition government, the reports said.
At Saturday’s funeral, Palestinian mourners carried Maatan’s body through the streets wrapped in a black and white keffiyeh headscarf and Palestinian flag, an AFP journalist reported.
Since early last year, the West Bank has seen violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities and regular raids by Israeli forces who claim they are pursuing militants.
In a statement on Saturday on Friday’s shooting, the Israeli army claimed Palestinian reports witnesses stated that both sides had thrown stones at each other before the Israeli civilians had opened fire.
“As a result of the confrontation, a Palestinian was killed, four others were injured, and a Palestinian vehicle was found burned. Several Israeli civilians were injured from rocks hurled at them,” it claimed, adding security forces arrived after the shooting.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, the territory is home to nearly three million Palestinians and around 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.