Palestinians Battle Troops in Land Day Protests
At least 34 Palestinians were arrested during clashes at protests to mark Land Day on Friday, and dozens were injured.
Some 15 Palestinians were detained in Issawiya on suspicion of throwing stones, while the remainder were detained in Jerusalem. A total of 15 Palestinians were estimated to have been injured in Friday’s clashes.
The IDF estimated that events were starting to wind down on Friday evening, with a few dozen Palestinians still demonstrating Qalandiyah on Friday evening, a few dozen still demonstrating at the Erez crossing.
The IDF spokesperson, Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai, said “It’s important to remember that this is the first day. The Nakba and Naksa days are ahead of us, and that is where the challenge will be.”
One protester was moderately wounded at the border crossing near Rachel’s Tomb, and was taken to hospital in Hebron. He was apparently wounded after being hit in the head by tear gas.
At the Erez crossing, eight people were wounded after demonstrators approached the entrance to the crossing and did not answer the IDF’s requests to stop approaching, and the IDF opened fire. Sniper teams stationed at the crossing reported eight wounded, mostly moderatley, one severely. The Palestinian media reported nine Palestinians were injured.
Some 250 Palestinians protested at the Qalandiyah checkpoint. Demonstrators burned tires and hurled rocks at soldiers, who responded with stun grenades and tear gas, and protests continued on Friday evening. The IDF used two crowd dispersal methods and tear gas at the checkpoint.
An additional demonstration took place at the Gaza Strip near Khan Yunis, where four people were reportedly wounded by sniper fire when they approached the fence.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
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