Anti-Settlement Protesters Attacked by Israeli Forces in West Bank
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Dozens of Palestinians taking part in a weekly anti-settlement protest in the occupied West Bank were injured after the protesters were attacked by Israeli forces.
Israeli troops used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protesters in the town of Beit Dajan, near the West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian Information Center reported on Friday.
At least five Palestinians were severely wounded by rubber bullets, while 51 others suffered breathing difficulties due to inhaling tear gas during the clashes.
For several months, Beit Dajan has been witnessing clashes every Friday between Israeli troops and Palestinians protesting against the Israeli seizure of Palestinian land for the expansion of settlements.
Meanwhile, Palestinian youths managed to down an Israeli drone in the flashpoint town of Beita, south of Nablus, according to local Palestinian sources.
The Israeli drone was firing tear gas on Palestinian protesters in the town, the sources added.
Since May, Beita has seen intensified clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians protesting against a settlement outpost that has been recently established on Sobeih Mountain by settlers under the protection of Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Red Crescent also announced that at least 90 people sustained injuries during clashes in Nablus.
Villages in the occupied West Bank often hold Friday demonstrations against land confiscations, house demolitions, and Israeli settlements. Israeli forces respond to the protests with disproportionate violence.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they are built on occupied land. The United Nations Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
