Minor Clashes Reported on ‘Nakba’ Day
Despite heightened security, Nakba Day events have been marked by a relative calm on Tuesday, with Palestinians in the West Bank and Israeli Arabs commemorating what they consider as the disaster of Israel’s formation with modest parades and protests.
Army and police officials have been on high alert ahead of the Palestinian day of mourning, after last year’s Nakba Day events were marked with violence and clashes along Israel’s border.
At the time, eight protesters were reportedly killed near Israel’s border, as Israel Defense Forces soldiers opened fire on large numbers of infiltrators trying cross over from Lebanon and Syria. Clashes between IDF troops and Palestinian protesters were also reported in the West Bank.
However, Tuesday’s Nakba Day events were significantly more subdued, with relatively minor events reported, mainly in the West Bank.
The most prominent of those was a protest taking place near the IDF checkpoint in Qalandia, where about 150 Palestinians rallied, hurling rocks at Israeli forces, who responded by firing tear gas canisters.
Incidents also occurred in Bitunya, and near Rachel’s tomb. Crowds of roughly 350, and 200, respectively, gathered at the sites, and threw rocks at IDF forces.
IDF officials indicated that protests were also marked elsewhere in the West Bank, adding, however, that not abnormal events were reported.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
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