Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen Near Ramallah

Israeli soldiers enter the village of Deir Abu Mashal near the West Bank city of Ramallah (Footage by AFPTV via Getty Images)
Israeli soldiers enter the village of Deir Abu Mashal near the West Bank city of Ramallah (Footage by AFPTV via Getty Images)
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Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen Near Ramallah

Israeli soldiers enter the village of Deir Abu Mashal near the West Bank city of Ramallah (Footage by AFPTV via Getty Images)
Israeli soldiers enter the village of Deir Abu Mashal near the West Bank city of Ramallah (Footage by AFPTV via Getty Images)

Israeli soldiers killed, late on Wednesday at night a Palestinian teen, and injured at least two others, in Deir Abu Mashal town, west of Ramallah, in central West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said it was informed that Mohammad Damer Matar, 16, succumbed to wounds he had sustained from Israeli gunfire.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its medics provided the needed treatment to two Palestinians; one of them suffered a moderate-but-stable injury, and the second suffered mild wounds, before they were rushed to Palestine Medical Complex In Ramallah. Their condition was stable, the ministry reassured.

Head of Deir Abu Mashal Village Council Imad Zahran said that Matar was arrested by the Israeli military after getting injured. His body remains withheld by the Israeli military, he added.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesperson said that soldiers on Wednesday had "spotted a cell, whose members were carrying flammable materials used to prepare firebombs near the Palestinian village of village of Deir Abu Mashaal".

The village is near a road used by settlers to reach their settlements in the West Bank. These roads usually witness clashes where Palestinians throw stones on the army and settlers while they attack Palestinian passers-by in their turn.



US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)

Recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his willingness to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to normalize relations between the two countries have sparked mixed reactions.
While the Syrian opposition sees the possibility of such a meeting despite the challenges, Damascus views the statements as a political maneuver by the Turks. Meanwhile, the United States has tied the normalization process to achieving a political solution in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued in 2015.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that a US administration official, who was not named, confirmed that Washington is against normalizing relations with the Syrian regime under Assad. He emphasized that Washington cannot accept normalizing ties with Damascus without progress toward a political solution that ends the conflicts in Syria.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that a meeting between Assad and Erdogan is possible despite the obstacles. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Bahra said the meeting is feasible, even though Ankara is fully aware that the Assad regime cannot currently meet its demands and understands the regime’s limitations.
Bahra pointed out that the UN-led political process remains frozen and that he had briefed US and Western officials on the latest developments in the Syrian file. On Saturday, Bahra participated in a consultative meeting in Ankara with the Syrian Negotiation Commission, along with a high-level delegation from the US State Department, during which they exchanged views on the political solution and the need to establish binding mechanisms for implementing international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.
On the other side, Assad’s special advisor, Bouthaina Shaaban, dismissed Erdogan’s announcement that Ankara is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding his meeting with Assad for normalization as another political maneuver with ulterior motives.
Shaaban, speaking during a lecture at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was reported by Turkish media on Thursday, stated that any rapprochement between the two countries is contingent on its withdrawal of forces from Syrian territory.