police release the jewish settler who shot a Palestinian in Silwan; let Him bleed to death

NAZARETH, (PIC)-- A Jewish settler was released on bail Wednesday after killing a Palestinian man in the Silwan district of Jerusalem, as tensions rise in Jerusalem in wake of the shooting.

The settler fired several shots at Samer Sarhan, 32, and other youths for allegedly throwing stones at him. Sarhan died after he bled for two hours and police stopped an ambulance from saving him. Others were wounded in the shooting.

Violent clashes re-erupted Wednesday between outraged Palestinian youths and armed settlers in several neighborhoods of the Silwan district in wake of Sarhan’s killing.

Local residents said Palestinian youths hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at settlement outposts in Silwan.

A large force of Israeli occupation police arrived at the scene and closed off a number of entrances to the district and fired tear gas at rioters. An Israeli settler was stabbed in the clashes.

Israeli radio reported that three Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli soldiers and four at a Jewish institution on the Zaytoun mountain. No injuries or damages were reported.

Meanwhile in Gaza, the Islamic Jihad movement said that recent developments in Jerusalem are compelling evidence that the current peace talks between the PA and Israel provide a “conducive climate” for Israeli plans to crack down on the Palestinians.

The group said in a statement Wednesday that settler attacks have shown a marked increase after the resumption of direct negotiations between the two sides, in light of security coordination between the PA security militias and Israel.

For his part, Palestinian MP Dr. Ahmed Abu Halabiya said that Abbas remaining in negotiations in light of the vicious attacks against the people of Jerusalem is clear evidence that the PA has been conspiring with Israel.

“What’s happening in Jerusalem is part of an Israeli plan aimed at judaizing the city and its districts and establishing the alleged ‘City of David.’” Abu Halabiya said in a statement on Wednesday.

Palestinian religious affairs minister Dr. Abu Sha’ar denounced Arab and international silence against Israel’s practices against Palestinians in Jerusalem, at the same time calling on religious leaders to mobilize a public uprising in protest of Israel’s “arrogance”.

In a statement he gave Wednesday, Abu Sha’ar pointed the finger at Israel, Israeli settlers, and extremist Jewish groups for the killing of a Jerusalem man whose life was taken in the blink of an eye for defending a national Islamic cause in face of judaization.