The most senior church leaders in Israel and the Palestinian territories gathered in the West Bank village of Taybeh on Monday to denounce rising settler violence against Palestinians and Palestinian property in the area.

Palestinian authorities and family members said Israeli settlers beat and killed a Palestinian-American man. Israel said the violence began when Palestinians threw stones at Israeli civilians.

U.S. citizen Sayafollah Musallet, 20, also known as Saif, was severely beaten in the incident on Friday evening in Sinjil, north of Ramallah, the ministry said. Hussein Al-Shalabi, 23 was shot in the chest.