Jewish Israeli arrested after fatal stabbing of Palestinian near settlement

Ali Hassan Harb, 27, was stabbed to death near the settlement of Ariel while trying to clear out settlers who were trying to erect an outpost on his family's land in the West Bank

The Israel Police arrested a Jewish man on Wednesday in connection to the stabbing death of Palestinian Ali Hassan Harb in the West Bank the previous day.

Harb, 27, was stabbed in the chest near the settlement of Ariel on Tuesday evening. Three Palestinians, who were at the scene, said that the stabbing occurred while soldiers and police were present. The Israeli military denies this and said that "IDF forces were not present at the scene during the event."

The court has placed a gag order on the details of the investigation. The police said that due to this order, they cannot comment on the Palestinians' claims of a police presence at the scene.

A security official said that a group of young Israelis had been walking through the area, next to the settlement's fence, to examine its suitability for setting up a new outpost. A witness told Haaretz that while they were there, a settler stabbed and killed Harb, a resident of the village of Iskaka near the settlement of Ariel, while he tried to prevent them from pitching a tent on his family's land.

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Jewish Israeli arrested after fatal stabbing of Palestinian near settlement (Haaretz)

Photo: Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Ali Harb, 27 during his funeral in the West Bank village of Iskaka, on Wednesday (Majdi Mohammed /AP/Haaretz)