Chaos at murdered settler's funeral

Thousands of settlers attended the funeral procession

The funeral of an Israeli settler killed by Palestinian gunmen has disintegrated into chaos amid arguments over where he should be buried.

Police stopped mourners from burying 34-year-old Nethanel Ozeri at an illegal settlement outpost where he was killed, prompting the dead man's widow to flee to Jerusalem with his body in protest.

It is a disgrace that this poor murder victim was denied a decent burial for two full days

Yisrael Lau, Israeli chief rabbi

At one stage, a group of mourners snatched the corpse as the funeral cortege headed towards the original destined place of burial, near the West Bank city of Hebron.

Earlier, enraged settlers who gathered for the funeral went on the rampage, attacking Palestinian property and fighting with police.

Mr Ozeri, a father of five, belonged to the banned anti-Arab Kach movement, according to Israeli media.

The settlement of Givat Harsina, where Mr Ozeri was killed, is near Kiryat Arba, home to staunchly right-wing Jewish settlers.

Body snatched

The debacle began when Mr Ozeri's widow, Livnat, insisted on burying her husband in Givat Harsina, near the outpost known as Lot 26 where Mr Ozeri was shot dead on Friday night.

The rabbi of nearby Hebron ruled that Mr Ozeri should be buried in Hebron's Old City cemetery, but as the funeral procession began, a group of mourners, reportedly encouraged by Mrs Ozeri, snatched the body and fled with it towards Givat Harsina.

Israeli television said the breakaway group uncovered the corpse to shock the other mourners into agreeing to bury Mr Ozeri there.

Israeli police guarding the funeral prevented the group from reaching Givat Harsina and the procession headed back towards Hebron.

Police chase

As the cortege passed through Hebron, the car carrying Mr Ozeri's body, his widow and other mourners suddenly veered onto the road to Jerusalem, apparently on Mrs Ozeri's orders.

Angry settlers went on the rampage

Israeli media said Mrs Ozeri wanted to protest against the authorities' refusal to allow her husband to be buried at Givat Harsina and planned to parade the casket in front of various government ministries.

The vehicle was chased by police cars with sirens blaring and stopped half way after rabbinical authorities warned Mrs Ozeri that to take her husband's body back out of Jerusalem once it had entered the city would be a dishonour.

Israel's chief rabbi, Yisrael Lau, condemned the treatment of Mr Ozeri.

"It is a disgrace that this poor murder victim was denied a decent burial for two full days," he said.

Israeli media said Mr Ozeri's body was taken back to Hebron where it was finally buried on Monday morning.