RAMALLAH, October 3 (JMCC) - A Palestinian from Hebron was shot dead Sunday morning by an Israeli policeman in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya.

According to police, the man was accidentally fired on when a policeman chased down and then struggled with a laborer seeking to cross the Wall Israel has constructed in the area.

But a witness at the scene said Saleh Izzedin Koazib, father of six, was killed without provocation as he was fleeing border policemen.

I asked them to speed up because the soldiers were still behind us, said the slain man's cousin Saleh Abbed Rabbo. Suddenly I saw a soldier approach Izzedin and put the gun on his body and fire. I and dozens of workers went back to find out what happened. When we approached the scene we were surrounded by special units who beat us.

Jerusalem has been the site of tensions ever since a security guard shot and killed a Palestinian in the neighborhood of Silwan last week.