Israeli soldiers shoot dead Palestinian man in WB

A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli soldiers on Friday afternoon in an anti-settlement rally near Beit Dajan village, east of the West Bank city of Nablus, reported Xinhua, quoting medics.

In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Atef Yousef Hanaysha, 45, was shot in the head when Israeli soldiers opened fire to disperse the protesters in the village.

Hanaysha died shortly after he was taken to the Rafidia hospital in Nablus, the statement added.

Salim Abu Jeish, a member of the committee to defend the land in the village, told reporters that live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear-gas canisters were used during the Israeli dispersion.

Beit Dajan village, located 12 km east of Nablus city, has experienced weekly protests against the Israeli settlement activities.

With a population of some 4,700, Beit Dajan has a total area of 4,410 hectares, including 36 hectares of built-up area for the villagers. A large part of the village's lands were seized for the construction of Israel's Al-Hamra and Mekhora settlements in 1971 and 1973. Currently, the villagers depend on grain and fruit trees, such as olive, figs and almonds, for a living.

The Palestinians have been organizing weekly rallies and protests against the Israeli expansion of settlements in the West Bank and its home demolitions and confiscation of lands.