Three Israeli-Druze soldiers were arrested Monday on suspicion of throwing a makeshift explosive device on a Palestinian house in Bethlehem in retaliation for the abduction of the body of 18-year-old Tiran Ferro, who was injured in a car crash near Jenin last week.
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Ferro, who was critically injured in the crash, was hospitalized at a Palestinian hospital from which his body was abducted by a mob of Palestinian gunmen, reportedly because they mistakenly thought he was an Israeli soldier.
According to Ferro's family, the terrorists stormed the hospital, disconnected him from his respirator while he was still alive and threw him into a car. His body was retrieved by Israeli and PA security forces and returned to his family the following day.
There were no casualties in Monday's incident.
Meanwhile, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process warned on Monday that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is "again reaching a boiling point."
During a briefing to the UN Security Council, Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland told the members that "decades of persistent violence, illegal settlement expansion, dormant negotiations and deepening occupation" have led to the conflict reaching a "boiling point."
The high levels of violence, as described by Wennesland, include "attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, increased use of arms, and settler-related violence," all of which have "caused grave human suffering."
He continued that the twin bombings in Jerusalem that killed two Israelis and wounded over a dozen more must be rejected and condemned by all. Wennesland also condemned settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron, adding: "The targeting of civilians can never be justified, and the violence must stop."
Wennesland also warned: "Demography is moving faster than politics," explaining that "in a few years, exponential population growth in the West Bank and Gaza will make it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to manage the economic, political, and security situation."
During a UN briefing, Vineland said that he has not yet had any discussions with the presumptive new Israeli government – likely to be led by Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu – but is instead dealing with one government at a time.
He also noted his experience with governments led by Netanyahu but commented on the different voices that will appear in the likely coalition. When asked whether he anticipates difficulty dealing with the incoming government, he quipped that all governments in the Middle East are difficult to deal with.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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