Palestinian shot dead in clashes in Jenin

A Palestinian man was shot dead yesterday and twelve more were wounded in gunfights after Israel Defense Forces troops entered the West Bank town of Jenin in pursuit of suspected militants, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

Three IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in the clashes.

Heavy exchanges of fire were reported in the center of the town, which the IDF placed under curfew, Palestinian security officials said.

Troops entered houses in search of the wanted men, residents said.

The IDF said it was conducting a routine operation to arrest Palestinians suspected of militant activity.

In a separate operation, dozens of Israeli troops surrounded a house in the village of Kfar Kadum, near Nablus, where two wanted men were hiding, as an army bulldozer began to demolish the building, witnesses said. The suspects inside and soldiers exchanged fire but no casualties were reported.

Another wanted man was arrested in the village.

Elsewhere yesterday, Palestinian schoolteachers taught pupils in the road outside an IDF checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron to protest what they consider to be unnecessarily intrusive searches of the children on their way to school.

The IDF says the high-tech checkpoint, which includes metal detectors and an X-ray scanner, is in an area where militant activity has been high.

About 200 children and 10 teachers began protesting at the checkpoint at 7 A.M. Some took part in the classes, and dozens of others tried to burst through the checkpoint, but soldiers shoved them back. No injuries were reported.

On Tuesday, soldiers fired tear gas to disperse some 300 children who were protesting at the checkpoint.