A 70-year-old Israeli man was lynched in Bethlehem today. His body was found with signs of severe and brutal violence in a soccer field in PLO-controlled Beit Sachur. The man also held American citizenship. PLO naval police, who man a nearby roadblock, were eyewitnesses to the lynch but did nothing.
The victim entered Bethlehem with an Arab acquaintance, who apparently reported the lynch to Israel security forces. Lieut.-Col Sharon Levy, commander of the Bethlehem District Coordinating Office, told Israel Radio that when they received reports of an Israeli in distress, they checked with the PLO police who denied that any such incident was taking place. Levy indicated that he relied upon the PLO report and subsequently "lost connection with the unfolding incident." When he discovered that they had lied to him, it was too late. Levy said, "We have strong complaints against the Palestinians that the police there did not protect the man, did not report the incident to us, and then lied about it."
Officers who saw the body are saying that the victim was badly beaten and shot many times. Not all of the details have become clear; an investigation is underway. For more news as it unfolds, see the Latest News section on http://IsraelNationalNews.com.
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