Palestinian minister dies after assault by Israeli soldiers

A Palestinian minister died Wednesday after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers during a mass rally in the West Bank city of Ramallah, provoking outrage and condemnation among the Palestinians, sources said.

Palestinian Minister of Settlement Ziad Abu Ein died in a hospital in Ramallah after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers who were dispersing an anti-settlement rally in the village of Termos Meya near Ramallah, Xinhua reported.

Witnesses said that Abu Ein inhaled Israeli tear gas and fainted, and that several Israeli soldiers hit him on his head with their helmets and clubs. Other reports said that the minister was struck by the soldiers' guns in the chest. Medics said Abu Ein was unconscious when brought to the hospital, and that his heart beat stopped after all attempts to revive him failed.

Abu Ein was also the former minister of prisoners' affairs as well as a member of the Fatah party's revolutionary council. In September, he was assigned by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to lead the popular resistance committee against the Israeli separation wall and Israeli settlement activities.

Abu Ein's death provoked outrage and condemnation among the Palestinians. Abbas condemned the killing as "a brutal assault" that was "barbarian and not acceptable", saying the Palestinians "won't keep silent for this crime".

Ihab Besseiso, spokesman of the Palestinian unity government, said "the killing of Abu Ein is a continuation of the Israeli crimes against our people". "We seriously consider what happened and we seriously consider all the violations that are committed against our people. We will use all needed legal measures to defend our people," Besseiso added.

The Islamic Hamas movement, while condemning the killing of Abu Ein, called for stopping "all security cooperation with the occupation". A spokesperson of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said on his social website that the IDF was reviewing Wednesday's demonstration that led to the reported death of a Palestinian.