Israel says Palestinians caused deadly car crash

By JOSEF FEDERMAN

The Associated Press

JERUSALEM — Israeli authorities say Palestinian assailants are to blame for a car crash that killed an Israeli father and his infant son in the West Bank last week.

Palestinians dance and sing prior to the arrival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the government compound, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. Abbas has received a hero's welcome in the West Bank, triumphantly telling his people the "Palestinian Spring" has begun following his historic speech to the U.N. last week. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A Jewish Orthodox man, left, prays as workers collect notes left by visitors between the stones of the Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem's Old City Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. The notes are buried in a nearby cemetery according to Jewish tradition. People of all faiths slip notes between the stones in the belief that god will answer their prayers. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Palestinians wave flags and pictures of President Mahmoud Abbas at the government compound, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. Abbas has received a hero's welcome in the West Bank, triumphantly telling his people the "Palestinian Spring" has begun following his historic speech to the U.N. last week. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

A man works on a construction site in the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo in east Jerusalem, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011. Israel's government on Tuesday granted the final go-ahead for the construction of 1,100 new housing units in occupied east Jerusalem, raising already heightened tensions fueled by last week's Palestinian move to seek U.N. membership. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

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Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the investigation has found that the Israeli man lost control of his car after he was hit in the head by a stone. Palestinian youths regularly throw stones at Israeli cars in the West Bank.

Israel's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the "results of the investigation show it was a terror attack." The crash was initially thought to have been an accident.

The father and son were residents of a nearby Israeli settlement.

Friday's crash took place amid tensions in the West Bank linked to a Palestinian attempt to win U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state.

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September 28, 2011 05:16 AM EDT

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