Ziad Abu Ein buried in Ramallah as clashes erupt

Thousands gathered on Thursday to carry a Palestinian minister to his final resting place, as clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied West Bank.

Ziad Abu Ein, 55, the head of the anti-Wall and Settlement Commission, died after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers during a protest march on Wednesday.

Mstreamed into Ramallah for his funeral, with a procession from the headquarters of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to the nearby martyrs' cemetery in al-Bireh.

Your blood will not be spilled in vain. - Palestinians chanted during the funeral.

Uniformed Palestinians carried Abu Ein's coffin, draped in a Palestinian flag, into the courtyard, as nationalist songs blared and mourners chanted: "Your blood will not be spilled in vain."

Schools were closed for a day of mourning and posters of Abu Ein were plastered on walls throughout the occupied West Bank city.

Additional Israeli troops had been deployed, an Israeli army spokesperson said. The cemetary is close to the Israeli settlement of Psagot, like all Israeli settlements on occupied territory, it is deemed illegal under international law.

Palestinian news agencies reported that two young men were shot with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers near Ramallah, although their conditions were not believed to be life-threatening. Several other protesters were taken to hospital after inhaling tear gas.

Abu Ein died on Wednesday after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers during a protest march against further land annexation by roughly 300 Palestinians who intended to plant olive trees as a symbolic act of resistance.

Israel 'fully responsible'

Earlier on Thursday the Palestinian civil affairs minister, Hussein al-Sheikh, said that a post-mortem examination showed Abu Eid had inhaled tear gas and been struck in the chest before dying.

"After hearing the results of the post-mortem, the Palestinian government holds Israel fully responsible for the killing of Ziad Abu Ein," said Ihab Bseiso, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority.

The PA said the post-mortem was carried out by Palestinian, an Israeli and Jordanian doctors. The final post-mortem examination has not been released to the public and the Israeli doctor has yet to sign it.

The Palestinian government holds Israel fully responsible for the killing of Ziad Abu Ein. - Ihab Bseiso, PA spokesman.

Sheikh said Israeli forces had prevented Abu Ein from getting to a hospital quickly enough to save his life.

Israel's health ministry said the death was caused by a "blockage of the coronary artery" which "could have been caused by stress".

The incident prompted President Abbas to threaten measures in response, saying "all options are open for discussion and implementation".

Hamas, the rulers of the Gaza Strip, urged the PA, lead by the Fatah faction, to cease security coordination with Israel.

Israel urged calm, with Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon saying a a military inquiry had been launched. He stressed security and stability was important for both sides.