'Collaborator' shot in West Bank

Gunmen escorted the man into the town's main square

Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank have publicly killed a man they accused of collaborating with Israel and sexually abusing his daughters.

Hundreds of people watched as the man was paraded in the main square of the town of Qabatiya, where the crowd was asked what should be done with him.

When they shouted "kill him", four members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades shot the man with automatic weapons.

Palestinian officials have criticised the killing.

What he did was shameful - we considered him no longer one of us Victim's cousin

Palestinian Authority minister Jamal Shobaki said the authority was incapable of enforcing law and order in occupied areas.

"We want every act to be carried out via legal channels and oppose anyone who behaves otherwise," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.

Correspondents say Palestinian militants have killed at least 30 suspected informers since the start of the current uprising almost four years ago.

Satisfaction

The man, named as Muhammad Rafiq Daraghmeh, was hustled into the town's main square, where he was asked whether he had worked with Israeli intelligence and whether he had molested his two daughters, now teenagers.

He replied yes to both questions.

The victim was then pushed to the ground by the four militants, who riddled him with bullets before driving away.

Many local residents expressed satisfaction over the killing.

""What he did was shameful," a cousin told Reuters. "We considered him no longer one of us."