Israel Probes Death of Palestinian
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JERUSALEM — Israeli police said Saturday that they were investigating the killing of a Palestinian accused of selling land to Jews, an activity the Palestinian Authority calls punishable by death.
Police spokesman Shmulik Ben-Ruby said Palestinian security forces on Saturday handed the body of East Jerusalem land dealer Farid Bashiti to Israeli authorities for forensic tests.
Bashiti, 70, was found dead in Palestinian-ruled Ramallah on Friday. Palestinian security sources said Bashiti was discovered bound and his body had signs of a blow to the head. Family members said Bashiti’s skull was fractured.
“He was a collaborator and a dealer of lands who used to sell lands to Israelis,” said a Palestinian security official who refused to be identified.
In order to halt expansion of Jewish settlement on lands seized by Israel in 1967, the Palestinian Authority said last week that it would apply the death sentence to Palestinians or their agents who sold land to Israelis.
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