Dozens of armed Israeli settlers sneak into West Bank site, 4 injured and 1 shot dead in clash with Palestinian police

Ma’an – An Israeli settler was shot dead and four others were injured early Sunday after a group of Jewish worshippers snuck into Nablus without coordinating with Palestinian or Israeli security, officials said.

Settler sources named the man killed in the incident as Jerusalem resident Ben-Yosef Livnat, a 24-year-old father of four who is the nephew of hawkish culture minister Limor Livnat, and was born in the Nablus-area settlement Elon Moreh.

The shooting took place when dozens of armed ultra-Orthodox settlers entered the Joseph’s Tomb site without an Israeli military escort.

The Palestinian officers told the group that they were not allowed in the area and said that in response settlers pulled out their own guns and pointed them toward the officers. Israel's military confirmed no coordination attempts had been made.

Security forces first fired warning shots into the air, according to Palestinian officials, while a statement from Israel's army said Palestinian officials said shots were fired "after identifying suspicious movements."

Yaakov David Ha'ivri, a settler leader in the northern West Bank, said the four were shot as they left the tomb after an unauthorized visit.

The incident put "a great question mark over the ability of the Palestinian Authority to protect the security of Jewish worshipers," he said. "It could encourage the Israeli side to take more responsibility."

Visits to the tomb, in the Nablus-area town of Balatta, have in the past years been conducted at night. Israeli forces enter the area and impose a military curfew, preventing civilians from leaving their homes from the hours of midnight to dawn.

Palestinian police operating in the area during a Israeli military operation are told to evacuate.

Palestinian Authority security services spokesman Adnan Dmeiri told Ma'an that officers on duty at the site had been summoned to give testimonies as witnesses to the incident, but said none had been detained.

Dmeiri said a committee had been formed to investigate the shooting but said it would not include Israeli officials. He denied media reports that the investigation would be under US supervision.

Mixed reactions

"This was an abnormal event which does not characterize the nature of the relationship," an Israeli military official told Ynet, a news site based in Tel Aviv. "It is possible that the group's failure to coordinate the visit caused a misunderstanding," the official said.

The governor of Nablus, Jibril Al-Bakri, added that the shooting was unintentional and said it was still being investigated.

The army said its senior officials were expected to meet with Palestinian security officers Sunday to examine the incident.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak issued a statement "strongly condemning" the incident and calling on the army and Palestinian Authority to investigate.

"No breakdown in coordination can justify an event of this nature and firing at innocent people," he said.

Following the incident, Israeli forces closed the Beit Furik checkpoint east of Nablus and intensified inspections at Za'tara and Huwwara checkpoints in the area.

Clashes erupted around Joseph's Tomb as Israeli forces launched tear gas at young Palestinians protesting in the area.

After Israeli forces withdrew, Palestinians set fire to the site.

AFP contributed to this report

New York Times report: ...Most of those who sneak in are members of the Breslov Hasidic sect who live in Jerusalem...