W.Bank court jails Palestinians for killing Israelis

Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:57pm EST

HEBRON, West Bank Jan 22 (Reuters) - A Palestinian Authority court in the occupied West Bank sentenced two Palestinians on Tuesday to 15 years in jail for killing two Israelis last month, a security official said.

The gunmen shot two off-duty Israeli soldiers who were hiking near the West Bank city of Hebron last month. Two Palestinian gunmen were also killed in the gun battle.

"They were criminals who carried out a criminal act against Israelis," said Samil al-Safi, a security official in Hebron.

Safi said the attack "aimed to destroy the safety and security for the Palestinian security plan in the West Bank".

Shortly after the shooting, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group took responsibility for the attack. But Safi said the two gunmen were not affiliated with either of the Islamist groups.

Israel has ruled out relaxing its grip on the West Bank until Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security forces rein in militants.

Abbas's government condemned last month's attack and has said it was meeting its security obligations by carrying out a crackdown in West Bank cities. (Reporting by Haitham Tamimi in Hebron, Writing by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Myra MacDonald)



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