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Dozens of Palestinians injured in West Bank clashes

The clashes in several West Bank towns and villages broke out hours after 153 Palestinians were injured during clashes with the Israeli police on Friday morning at the compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, reports Asian Lite News

Dozens of Palestinian protesters were injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers in several West Bank towns and villages, the Palestine Red Crescent Society has said.

In a clash that took place on Friday, five were shot by live ammunition, four by rubber bullets, and dozens suffered from inhaling tear gas, Xinhua news agency reported citing the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Dozens of anti-settlement demonstrators burned tyres and threw stones at the Israeli soldiers stationed on the outskirts of the villages, said eyewitnesses.

Meanwhile, Murad Ishteiwi, the Palestinian coordinator of the popular resistance in Qalqilya, told Xinhua that during the clashes in the Kafr Qaddum village, Israeli soldiers “had brutally suppressed the protesters by live ammunition and teargas”.

Israeli authorities have not given any comment on the incidents.

The clashes in several West Bank towns and villages broke out hours after 153 Palestinians were injured during clashes with the Israeli police on Friday morning at the compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.

Tension between Israel and the Palestinians has flared in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past three weeks, mainly during the Muslims’ fasting month of Ramadan.

(File pic) Palestinians clash with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, Aug. 11, 2019. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua/IANS)

The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that since January, 42 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, including women and children. In the meantime, 14 Israelis have been killed in a series of shooting attacks in Israel since March 22.

Palestinian factions, including the Fatah Party led by President Mahmoud Abbas and Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), condemned the current escalation of tension in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, in the 1967 Middle East war.

ALSO READ: 3 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers in West Bank

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Palestinian President calls for international protection to Palestinians

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called on the international community to provide protection to the Palestinian people amid a significant Israeli escalation of tension in the West Bank…reports Asian Lite News

Abbas made the remarks during his meeting with Sven Koopmans, European Union’s Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Xinhua reported, citing the official Palestinian news agency (WAFA).

According to the report, Abbas reviewed Isreal’s continuous attacks against the Palestinians, referring to the ongoing escalation of tension as “unbearable”.

ALSO READ: Palestine urges UN to contain Israeli actions in East Jerusalem

The tension between Israel and the Palestinians has flared up in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past three weeks, mainly during the Muslims’ fasting month of Ramzan.

On Monday, Palestinian Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned that the Israeli escalation measures in the Palestinian territories would push the matters to “an uncontrollable situation.”

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Palestinian boy killed by Israeli soldiers in West Bank

A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli soldiers in the central West Bank city of Bethlehem, the Palestinian Health Ministry said…reports Asian Lite News

Mohammad Shehada, 14, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers’ gunfire in the town of al-Khader near Bethlehem on Tuesday, said the Ministry in a statement.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said the boy was killed during clashes that broke out in the town between dozens of Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli soldiers, Xinhua news agency reported.

ALSO READ: Palestine holds Israel responsible for settlers’ practices in West Bank

There has been no response to the incident from the Israeli military.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said in a press statement that the Palestinian government condemned the killing of Shehada, adding that “killing the boy is a crime that violates international law”.

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80-year-old Palestine man found dead in West Bank

An 80-year-old Palestinian man who holds American citizenship was found dead in the West Bank following his arrest by the Israeli army…reports Asian Lite News

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Omar As’ad’s body was found in the village of Jiljilya before he was moved to the emergency room, reports Xinhua news agency.

A local doctor, who tried to resuscitate the Palestinian man but found no pulse, said that it is possible that he suffered a heart attack, according to media reports.

Jiljilya village mayor Fouad Motea said that Israeli soldiers suddenly stormed As’ad’s car as he was on his way back home after visiting some relatives.

The soldiers took him out of the car, blindfolded him, and cuffed his hands, then put him inside a building under construction, said the Mayor.

ALSO READ: Sisi voices support for Palestine in resuming peace talks

The Israeli army confirmed that it had carried out an overnight operation in the village and a Palestinian was “apprehended after resisting a check”, noting that he was alive when the soldiers released him.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said that As’ad was an American citizen and it had sought clarification from the Israeli side over the incident.

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Palestinian woman shot dead by Israel at West Bank

A civilian guard fired several bullets at the woman after she kept getting closer without heeding the guard’s warning calls on her to stop….reports Asian Lite News

A 28-year-old Palestinian woman was shot dead by an Israeli security guard at the Qalandiya checkpoint in the West Bank, the Israeli police said.

On Saturday, the woman, a resident of the Palestinian refugee camp Aqabat Jaber near the city of Jericho, approached the cars crossing at the checkpoint manned by Israeli border police and civilian security guards, and ran toward them holding a knife in her hand, Xinhua news agency quote the police as saying.

A civilian guard fired several bullets at the woman after she kept getting closer without heeding the guard’s warning calls on her to stop.

Medical staff who arrived later pronounced the woman’s death.

The Palestinian woman was reportedly associated with the Islamic Hamas movement and had been jailed in 2016-2018 for a stabbing attempt.

ALSO READ: Israel-Palestine: Old Conflict in a New Context

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Israel to seal West Bank, Gaza crossings

The closure started at midnight between Monday and Tuesday, and will be lifted after the elections overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News

The Israeli military has said that a one-day closure will be imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip ahead of the country’s fourth parliamentary elections in two years.

The closure started at midnight between Monday and Tuesday, and will be lifted after the elections overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, Xinhua news agency quoted a military spokesperson as saying in a statement.

During the closure, all the crossings between Israel and the Palestinian territories will be closed, except for humanitarian cases and medical emergencies, according to the statement.

West Bank(IANS)

Also read:Israel allows int’l flights

The spokesperson said another closure is expected to be imposed on the Palestinians from March 26 until April 3, in the wake of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Israel usually imposes closures on the West Bank and Gaza during Jewish holidays, citing security reasons.

The country’s fourth parliamentary elections in two years will be held on Tuesday.

Also read:‘Israel’s skewed measures won’t bring peace’