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Photo:
Bilal Mohammad Saleh, 40. Source: WAFA Published by IMEMC News

Israeli settlers in the olive grove in which the shooting took place, on Saturday. Published by IMEMC News
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by IMEMC News
Oct 29, 2023

An illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizer shot and killed, on Saturday morning, a Palestinian man while he was picking olives on his land, in the central West Bank town of As-Sawiya, east of Salfit, the Ministry of Health confirmed.

The Ministry announced the death of Bilal Mohammad Saleh, 40, after he was shot in the chest by an Israeli settler, in As-Sawiya town.

Saleh sustained a critical injury and was reported to have lost an excess of blood due to the difficulty in transporting him to the hospital.

It was added that Saleh, a father of four children, was picking olives with his family at the time, and that his family witnessed the shooting.

With the murder of Saleh, the West Bank death toll since October 7, rose to 111 Palestinians, with 1,950 citizens wounded by settlers and occupation forces.

Later, hundreds of citizens gathered in front of Yasser Arafat Hospital in Salfit to receive the body of the slain man, and marched toward As-Sawiya.

Mourners carried the body of the slain man wrapped in the Palestinian flag, on their shoulders, and marched through the streets condemning the escalating crimes by the Israeli regime and its illegal settlers.

Participants performed the funeral prayer over the body of the slain man in the local mosque, before burying him in the town’s cemetery.
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Israeli Soldier Arrested on Suspicion of Fatally Shooting Palestinian Olive Harvester

The soldier, who was on leave from a Haredi IDF Battalion at the time of the shooting, says he fired warning shots after confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians, contradicting local Palestinians' version of events

by Hagar Shezaf for Haaretz
Oct 30, 2023 3:04 pm IST

Israel's military police arrested a soldier on Sunday suspected of shooting a Palestinian who was harvesting olives in the Nablus area on Saturday, who died of his wounds. The soldier was on leave at the time of the incident.

According to the military, the soldier was arrested after having been suspected of shooting Bilal Saleh, 40, in the chest, following clashes between Palestinians and Israelis near the settlement of Rehelim.

Attorney Adi Keidar is representing the soldier on behalf of Honenu, an organization that provides legal aid to Jewish terror suspects. He said his client had opened fire after he and his family were attacked, and because he felt his life was at risk. He said that the soldier also fired a warning shot that did not hit anyone. Conversely, Saleh's uncle said on Saturday that there were no altercations between those present before the shooting.

The soldier, who serves in the Haredi Netzah Yehuda Battalion, was interrogated on Sunday, after which the authorities decided to keep him in detention. According to Keidar, the soldier claimed in his interrogation that Palestinians had thrown stones at him and his family members. The lawyer further claimed that the soldier fired warning shots in the air and then fired toward the ground, near the Palestinians' feet. However, a video from the scene shows that Saleh was shot in the chest.

The soldier's version of events also contradicts the testimonies of Palestinians who were present. Saleh's uncle Sami told Haaretz that at the time of the shooting he was in his own plot, about 500 meters from the plot where his nephew was harvesting. “At around 10 A.M., I saw four settlers dressed in white, men in their 20s, leaving the Rehelim settlement,” Sami said. He said he tried to warn the harvesters in the other plots. "Bilal was with his family and children. The settlers approached them and I wanted to protect my son and get away from there, and then I heard two gunshots."

Bilal, his wife, and their two children – aged about five and seven years old – were about 600 meters from the settlement fence, said Sami. “It was completely quiet,” he added, “there was nothing before, no brawls. We try to be careful, so we deliberately went to harvest on Saturday, when there are fewer settlers, but we probably didn’t bet on the right day.” He emphasized that they had taken extra precautions because they knew the atmosphere in the area is now particularly tense.

The Honenu organization claims that the Palestinians had harvested the olives in a grove near the settlement without coordinating with the army as required. But according to a security official, "generally speaking, harvesting isn't allowed in areas next to settlements, but in this incident, they were harvesting in an area that doesn't require a permit." He added, "These events affect Israel’s legitimacy on a strategic level and cause serious damage,” the source said.

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