- Israeli troops have shot dead a mentally ill Palestinian
during a raid in Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.
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- The man's death came as Palestinians prepared to mark
the fourth anniversary of their intifada against the Israeli occupation
in the West Bank and Gaza.
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- An Israeli military source said the man was climbing
a fence surrounding an army outpost and refused calls to stop.
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- The operation is said to be the biggest in Jenin for
months with hundreds of Israeli troops searching houses.
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- An Israeli military source said soldiers were looking
for militants and explosives in the Jenin refugee camp.
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- Israeli officers' criticism
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- Medics said Saleh Bilalu, who is known to have a history
of mental illness, died of a bullet wound to the chest.
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- Israeli military sources had earlier told Israel radio
that he had been climbing up a house occupied by troops who shot him in
the legs and he had been killed by the fall.
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- Israel's policies in the occupied territories have came
under fire from four senior members of an elite Israeli air force unit
who describe the military's action as "immoral".
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- In a letter published by Israeli newspapers on Tuesday,
the four expressed special concern about the demolition of Palestinians'
houses, but included other examples of alleged collective punishment of
the Palestinian population.
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- The letter said they wanted to spark debate about army
operations, and distanced themselves from so-called refuseniks - those
Israelis who refuse to serve in the West Bank and Gaza.
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- © BBC MMIV http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3696626.stm
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