Car hits Palestinian boys who had been throwing rocks

Two stone-throwing Palestinian boys were injured after being hit by a car driven by a Jewish settler leader in East Jerusalem, officials have said. Imran Mansur, 11, broke his leg after being thrown into the air and bouncing off the car windscreen. Iyad Gheit, 10, had to have glass removed from his arm. David Be'eri said he accidentally hit them when trying to escape the assault.



The incident was photographed by journalists, who were in the area in case of unrest after Friday prayers. Silwan, just south of Jerusalem's Old City, has been the scene of regular clashes between hardline settlers and local Palestinians.

A Jerusalem police spokesman said: "We have opened an investigation into the driver of the vehicle and we will check all the footage." Mr Be'eri has been questioned by the police and released on bail. He is the local leader of Elad, a right-wing group that supports increased Jewish settlement in the Old City and occupied East Jerusalem.



Elad spokesman Udi Ragones said: "His car was surrounded with tens of people with rocks, when they started throwing them, and he hit them when he tried to flee from the area. It seems that they were lying in wait and the ambush was planned with rocks. It may have even been a lynch situation. He felt his life was in danger," he added.