Palestinian minister dies in scuffle with Israel troops

A Palestinian Cabinet member died shortly after he and other protesters scuffled with Israeli troops near a West Bank village. The forces also fired tear gas close to the demonstrators, witnesses said.

During the scuffle, a member of Israel’s security forces held Ziad Abu Ain, 55, by the neck. Abu Ain later collapsed, received first aid and died en route to a hospital, witnesses said.

What killed the Palestinian official remains unclear and his body will undergo an autopsy attended by Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli pathologists, the Israeli army said. But the death of Abu Ain likely will enflame simmering tensions that remain after US-brokered peace talks fell apart earlier this year.