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Fatal shooting in Tayasir village
A 28-year-old Palestinian, Alaa Khalid Subeih, was shot dead Wednesday evening during a settler attack on the West Bank village of Tayasir, according to relatives and a senior UN official. The Israeli military confirmed an off-duty soldier fired the fatal shot but accused Subeih of throwing stones.
Conflicting accounts of the incident
Subeih's cousin, Saeb Subeih, told reporters the victim was defending his plastic greenhouse when settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, entered the village. He described the killing as an "execution" and said the Israeli military has yet to return the body to the family.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated in Hebrew that Subeih was a "terrorist," though its English-language statement referred to him as a "civilian." The IDF did not explain the discrepancy when questioned by the BBC.
Ajith Sunghay of the UN Human Rights Office said his team documented stone-throwing clashes between settlers and Palestinians earlier in the day, followed by Subeih's killing. He criticized Israel's government for enabling settler violence with "complete impunity."
Settler violence surges amid government expansion
UN data shows a sharp rise in settler attacks this year, with 206 incidents in March alone. Sunghay linked the increase to the war in Gaza, suggesting settlers believe international attention is diverted.
Former Israeli security chiefs, including ex-heads of Shin Bet and Mossad, warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a public letter that "government-sponsored Jewish terrorism" in the West Bank poses a "fatal strategic blow" to national security. They singled out far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both sanctioned by the UK for inciting violence.
Ambulance crew blocked, settlements approved
A Palestinian Red Crescent crew said Israeli soldiers barred them from entering Tayasir for seven hours Wednesday night, confiscating their phones and IDs. The crew later learned Subeih's body was being held by the IDF.
The Israeli cabinet reportedly approved 34 new West Bank settlements this week, including retroactive legalization of existing outposts. Anti-settlement group Peace Now called the move an "80% increase" in official settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Political rhetoric escalates
At a settlement inauguration Thursday, Smotrich declared Israel would "destroy the idea of a Palestinian state" and expand borders into Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Tayasir, the site of Subeih's killing, lies in an area nominally under Palestinian Authority security control.
"Returning his body is the only thing that can ease the pain for his family," Saeb Subeih said of his cousin, a school janitor described as "calm and respectful."
