An Israeli man swinging a stick at cars was fatally run over in the West Bank on Tuesday by a Palestinian truck driver. The man exited his vehicle after Palestinian demonstrators threw stones at it and he began to hit passing Palestinian cars with a large stick, according to an Associated Press photographer who witnessed the incident. The man hit a passing truck with the stick, and the truck ran the man over. The Israeli military confirmed his death.
The truck driver turned himself in, saying he hit the Israeli by accident while trying to swerve out of the way, according to a Palestinian security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
A spate of almost daily Palestinian attacks against civilians and soldiers, most of which have involved stabbings, has caused panic across Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of bloodshed.
The initial outbreak of Palestinian attacks was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site. Unrest began about a month ago, when Palestinians repeatedly barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, hurling stones, firebombs and fireworks at police.