It said the friendly fire incident -- which drew criticism
from Israel's leading human rights group -- began when troops
at Pnei Hever settlement, southeast of the city of Hebron,
spotted a suspicious vehicle approaching from around a nearby
hill.
"The unit ordered the car to stop, and after identifying
the occupant as armed, shot and killed him," an army statement
said. "After hearing the gunfire, a second armed man ran off
(from the hill). He was shot dead by a helicopter gunship."
The army said its troops had been on high alert for a
"terrorist attack" by Palestinian gunmen, who have carried out
a spate of shootings in the area over recent days, including
the killing of two Jewish settlers and a soldier.
Palestinians waging a 29-month-old uprising for statehood
have often accused Israeli soldiers of being trigger-happy at
checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites).
Israeli television footage from Pnei Hever showed the
windshield and bonnet of the car peppered with bulletholes.
"Perhaps this tragedy will bring home to Israelis the
laxity of the army's open-fire regulations in the territories,"
said Lior Yavne, spokesman for the Israeli rights group
B'Tselem.
But the army insists its soldiers follow strict rules of
engagement that include spoken challenges and warning shots
when confronting suspects. Citing witnesses, Israeli media said
the soldiers had indeed ordered the men to stop -- but in
Arabic.
According to Channel 2 television, before he was killed the
second man called police to report that Palestinians disguised
as soldiers had ambushed him and his partner.
Military sources said the two dead men worked as security
guards at a privately owned antenna on the hill.
"Everyone there permanently knows there are guards at the
antenna," retired colonel Yigal Sharon, a former commander of
Israeli forces in Hebron, told Israel Radio. He suggested the
unit operating on Thursday had been poorly briefed.
The army expressed regret at the incident and said it was
investigating.
At least 1,924 Palestinians and 726 Israelis have been
killed since the revolt began in September 2000.
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