Clashes in West Bank kill 19-year-old Palestinian-American, says official

Tel Aviv: Clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank killed a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The ministry said Nasrallah Muhammad Jamal Abu Siyam was shot by settlers in the village of Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem, late Wednesday night.

The Israeli military said soldiers responded to a violent confrontation in the area and attempted to disperse a riot. The military said that suspects shot at several Palestinians, who were evacuated for medical treatment.

Abu Siyam’s mother told The Associated Press that he also held American citizenship. The US Embassy did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Violence in the West Bank from extremist settlers has soared in the past few years.

Palestinians and rights groups say authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers or hold them accountable for violence. Under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, investigations into settler attacks have plummeted, according to the Israeli rights group Yesh Din. In a rare move earlier this week, Israeli prosecutors announced they plan to charge a settler in the killing of a Palestinian activist during a confrontation that was caught on video. More than 3.4 million Palestinians and 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.