Israeli troops kill Palestinian teen

Occupued Jerusalem - Lawmakers later voted to impose a minimum three-year jail sentence on stone-throwers.

The Israeli army said on Tuesday troops may have mistakenly killed a 15-year-old Palestinian and wounded others after a stone-throwing incident in the occupied West Bank, a stark admission that drew renewed attention to open fire rules.
The overnight shooting followed stone-throwing at cars in the West Bank that lightly wounded two foreigners and one Israeli, according to Israeli media.
The stone-throwers were also said to have hurled firebombs at passing cars and poured oil on the road.
Israeli soldiers responded and opened fire on what they believed to be suspects, killing 15-year-old Mahmoud Rafat Badran and wounding four others, according to Palestinian official news agency WAFA.
Two people were also arrested.
The Israeli army initially released a statement saying that troops shot two people "after a number of Palestinians hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at moving vehicles near the village of Beit Sira on route 443".
"An initial review suggests that as the mob continued, nearby forces acted in order to protect the additional passing vehicles from immediate danger and fired towards the assailants," the statement said. "Forces confirmed hits resulting in the death of one of the attackers."
Later, the army revised its account, saying that "from initial inquiry, it appears uninvolved bystanders were mistakenly hit during the pursuit," a spokeswoman said.
Asked by AFP whether that included the person killed, she said yes, as well as those wounded. The spokeswoman said the circumstances were being investigated.
During the holy month of Ramadan, residents often go out and socialise following the end of fast. It was not immediately clear if the teenager killed was among them.
Israel's response to Palestinian stone-throwers has been the subject of debate, with right-wing politicians calling for looser open-fire rules and human rights groups warning of the dangers of such policies. In September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "war" on stone-throwers with tougher penalties and new rules for security forces on when to open fire.
Lawmakers later voted to impose a minimum three-year jail sentence on stone-throwers.
Violence since October has killed at least 209 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Also on Tuesday, Israeli forces demolished the home of a Palestinian who killed a US tourist and wounded several Israelis in a March stabbing rampage in Tel Aviv.
An army spokeswoman said the Palestinian carried out the March 8 seafront knife attacks which killed 29-year-old Texan Taylor Allen Force and wounded at least 10 Israelis as US Vice President Joe Biden arrived for a visit. The Palestinian was shot dead during the attack. Netanyahu has expedited home demolitions of Palestinian attackers in a bid to deter violence.
Human rights groups say the measure amounts to collective punishment, forcing families to suffer for the acts of others.
Peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians have been at a standstill.

• MENA