Israel reinforces WB presence

OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS: Israel’s army said on Tuesday it would reinforce its presence in the occupied West Bank as tensions surge following the death of an illegal Jewish settler there.

Esther Horgan, a 52-year-old mother of six and a French-Israeli dual national, was found dead on Monday near the Tal Menashe settlement in the north of the Palestinian territory. Relatives said she had gone out jogging and never returned.

Israeli authorities are investigating the death following indications she was beaten to death. No Israeli official has presented any evidence pointing to a Palestinian involvement in Horgan’s death.

Reacting on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that "security forces will apprehend the murderer as quickly as possible and we will settle accounts with him". A official gag order has been issued for the investigation, barring police from commenting on any possible suspects. Horgan was buried on Tuesday in Tal Menashe, with her body escorted to a local cemetary by tearful mourners, an AFP photographer said.