[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: Take the Palestinian claims with a ton of salt.
The event, in which the Israeli driver was wounded as he struggled to save
his life, serves as a test of the PA. ]

Israeli kills 2 Palestinians near Hebron
Published yesterday (updated) 17/06/2012 16:41
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495993

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- An Israeli civilian shot and killed two Palestinians on
Sunday in the Hebron village of al-Samu, Palestinian medics and Israeli
officials said.

Anwar Abed Rabbo, 27, from Yatta, and Naeem al-Najjar, 32, from nearby
Idhna, were killed, and a third unidentified man was injured when an Israeli
opened fire on them, Palestinian medics said.

Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Ma'an that a tow truck driver
was attacked by two Palestinians in the south Hebron hills.

The driver "drew his weapon and fired a number of shots at the suspects," he
said, in what was thought to have been an attempted robbery.

Al-Najjar was shot in the head and neck and Abed Rabbo in the chest, medics
told Ma'an.

The driver was lightly injured and treated in a Beersheva hospital,
Rosenfeld said.

Israeli media reported that the truck driver is from southern Israeli city
Ashkelon. Medics had earlier said that the Israeli civilian involved in the
incident was a settler.

A spokesman for Palestinian security forces, Adnan Dmeiri, said he was aware
of the deaths but did not have further details because the shooting took
place in an Israeli-run area out of bounds to Palestinian police under
interim peace deals.

Head of Yatta municipality Zahran Abu Qbetta told Ma'an that the two men
were on their way to work at the time of the shooting.

Israeli forces prevented ambulances from accessing the scene, claiming that
it was a closed military zone, Red Crescent official Nasser Kabaja told
Ma'an.

Settlers and other Israelis who travel regularly in the occupied West Bank
are licensed to carry guns.

Reuters contributed to this report