West Bank settler may have died by friendly fire, army says

An Israeli military probe said on August 5 that friendly fire may have killed Israeli settler and army reservist Benayahu Mellet during a deadly late-July clash with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank village of Tell.

The violence in Tell, in the northern West Bank, left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead and led the army to open an investigation.

The army said it could not conclusively establish what caused Mellet's fatal injury. It said he died shortly after a Palestinian wrestled his rifle from him during a clash between residents of Tell and about 20 settlers who had entered the village. The army said Mellet may have been killed either by Palestinian fire or by incidental fire during efforts to neutralise the Palestinians it called terrorists.

The army said the second Israeli killed, Major Yuval Ezra, was an active-duty soldier sent to break up the clashes. It said Ezra charged toward a Palestinian, engaged him at close range and killed him before falling during the confrontation.

The army described the settlers' entry into Tell as a group hike but said it took place without the required coordination and approval from security authorities. Tell mayor Walid Zidan told AFP at the time that the settlers' activity was not a hike, and said Israeli soldiers and settlers opened fire after the settlers stormed the village.

Tell is near Havat Gilad, the settlement where Mellet was part of a community defence group. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and Israeli settlements there are illegal under international law.