Palestinian killed in clash with Border Guard

A-Din Qawezba, 38, caught trying to infiltrate Israel near village of Issawiya, north of Jerusalem. Police claim he resisted Border Guard officer who apprehended him and was shot to death while trying to snatch officer's weapon

Yair Altman|Published: 10.03.10 , 08:45

A 38-year-old Palestinian was killed Sunday in a clash with a Border Guard officer who seized him in the midst of an attempt to infiltrate in to Israel near the village of Issawiya, located north of Jerusalem.

The police claim that A-Din Qawezba, a married father of six from the village of Saeer, which is just outside Hebron, was shot to death after he tried to grab the Border Guard's weapon. The incident will be investigated by the police's internal investigation unit.

At around 4 am, a joint Border Guard and police patrol noticed a group of about 15 laborers who had infiltrated Israel near Issawiya. The police pursued them. A Border Guard officer managed to apprehend one of them, but the man resisted.

The police claim that the laborer tried to gain control over the officer's weapon, and, as a result, was fatally wounded by a single bullet. A Magen David Adom ambulance crew pronounced him dead.

About three weeks ago, a Palestinian car thief was shot to death in north Tel Aviv. The police officer who shot him claimed during the investigation of the incident that an errant bullet was accidentally fired from his weapon while the main was handcuffed to be taken in along with three other suspects.

An initial investigation of the incident revealed that the suspects managed to steal two vehicles belonging to Nava Schiller, a senior official in Tel Aviv District Prosecutor's Office. Besides the deceased, two of the car thieves were arrested, and a fourth managed to get away.