Asia

Asia

Militant killed in airstrike, Palestinian sources say

11 January 2011 23:24 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A 25-year-old militant riding a motorcycle was killed Tuesday afternoon by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, Palestinian security sources said, APA reports quoting CNN.
The sources say the man was a member of Islamic Jihad. One other man was injured in the strike, the sources said.
The Israeli army said it is looking into the report.
The incident comes amid a spurt of tension along the Israeli borders with Gaza the West Bank, stalling efforts to continue Israel-Palestinian peace talks.
One of the issues holding back talks has been settlement activity in the West Bank and building activity in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. Tension has been stoked after the demolition of a hotel in the city.
Internationally, Jerusalem is not recognized as Israel’s capital and Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian nation.
The Palestinian Cabinet on Tuesday urged the "international community to act in holding Israel accountable for its international law violations by its breach of Palestinian rights, primarily in view of its escalated colonization in East Jerusalem, reflected in the demolition of Shepherd Hotel."
The Shepherd Hotel was built in the 1930s by a prominent Palestinian family and was purchased from the state of Israel in 1985 by American millionaire Irving Moskowitz, an avid supporter of Jewish building in East Jerusalem.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the demolition of the hotel was a private property matter, and the state of Israel was not involved in the decision.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the move "contradicts the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties on the status of Jerusalem" and a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the demolition "only serves to heighten tensions."