A cameram present at the scene (name withheld, available only upon request and on confidential basis) who works for an international news agency said in his account of the shooting the following:

"It was confrontations as usual, demonstrators throwing rocks from inside H1 (Palestinian area), and soldiers shooting at demonstrators from inside H2 (area under Israeli security control), most of the cameramen and the journalists were standing behind the soldiers, the time was around 2:45 pm.  Suddenly we heard a sound of an explosion followed by several shots, the sound very much sounded like the sound of a concussion bomb usually thrown by Israeli soldiers.  Neither us, nor the soldiers around us were wounded or hit by any shrapnel.  Soldiers around us immediately started running into an alley towards the source of the sound.  All of the cameramen present ran following the soldiers.  At the entrance to the alley where other soldiers have already crossed, the cameramen were stopped by other soldiers and prevented from continuing to persue the soldiers.  The other end of the alley where the soldiers crossed is a Palestinian area.  The soldiers went into that area as far as 50-60 meters, then we all heard sounds of several shots.  After 2-3 minutes later, Israeli soldiers shouting and rejoicing came back through the same alley dragging behind a body of a dead Palestinian, they kept on dragging his body while rejoicing until they disappeared with the body into the Bet Hadassah compound.  Few minutes later Jewish settlers from Bet Hadassah, emerged from the compound, they were rejoicing the death of the young Palestinian.  They ditributed candy to the Israeli soldiers and then started dancing in a circle."

Another account given by another reporter who works for an Arab news channel (name withheld - available only upon request on confidential bases) present at the scene confirmed all of the details given in the first account.

The only difference in his account was that he estimated the distance Israeli soldiers crossed inside the Palestinian area (H1) at between 40-50 meters.

According to the Protocol Agreement Concerning Redeployment in Hebron signed on January 15, 1997.  The IDF has no right to a "hot pursuit" of Palestinians inside the area under Palestinian control designated as "H2".

issued by Palestine Media Center - PMC