Palestinian 'collaborator' shot dead
A Palestinian shopkeeper accused of collaborating with Israel has been shot dead in the West Bank.
Three masked men entered the shop of Mamoun Friej, 37, and shot him dead. He was hit by 14 bullets, a doctor at Tulkarem hospital said.
The Asfah Forces Unit 77, a group associated with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a leaflet, the group said: "The killing of this spy is a message to all the spies that we will punish them."
A number of Palestinians accused of being collaborators have been murdered over the years. The practice became more frequent after the Palestinian autonomy was established.
During the past six months of fighting with Israel, some Palestinians have been executed by the Palestinian Authority after being convicted of helping Israel identify and locate Palestinians whom it had targeted for assassination.
The killing took place as Israeli soldiers and police were on high alert for possible bomb attacks during the Passover Jewish holiday.
The Islamic Hamas group has warned that it has seven volunteers ready to carry out suicide bombings in Israeli cities.
Two bombs have exploded in the Gaza Strip, not inside Israel, and nobody was hurt. One explosive charge was planted outside a Jewish settlement and the other was set off as an Israeli army patrol was passing.
