Israel arrests two Palestinians

JERUSALEM: Israel has arrested two Palestinians suspected of killing an off-duty Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank earlier this week, its domestic intelligence agency said Saturday.

“After an intensive intelligence operation by security services, the Israeli police and army arrested suspects in the murder of soldier Dvir Sorek”, Shin Bet said in a statement.

The Israeli army had said on Thursday that the body of 19-year-old Sorek was found “with stabbing marks” near the Jewish settlement of Migdal Oz.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the killing as a “terrorist” attack.

The killing — between Bethlehem and the flashpoint city of Hebron — risks raising Israeli-Palestinian tensions weeks ahead of September 17 polls in Israel.

The Israeli army said Saturday security forces had apprehended “the terrorist squad suspected to have perpetrated the attack north of Hebron”.

It said rioters had hurled rocks towards its troops, who responded with “riot dispersal means”.

Around 2,000 people attended Sorek´s funeral, held Thursday evening in the Ofra settlement, part of which was aired by Israel´s public broadcaster KAN.

Israeli media reported at the time that investigators were examining the possibility that Sorek had been killed in a botched kidnapping attempt.