Palestinian protestors dressed as Santa Claus clashed with security forces at a checkpoint near Bethlehem this weekend after Border Police prevented demonstrators from crossing.
Photos from the incident depict a man wearing a Santa Claus outfit throwing a tear gas canister back at security forces while other protestors were lying on the ground after inhaling tear gas.
Protests near Bethlehem and Hebron
Farid, one of the protestors, said, "We came here to go to prayers in Jerusalem. We want to get to the capital of Palestine, Jerusalem, and we want to say that this land is Palestinian land and it is our right to get to that land."
The organizer of the protest, Muntar Amira, added, "We are here to protest and to say that the occupation and terror are two sides of the same coin. We want to say to the world that Palestinians are dealing with organized terror. We will continue to fight this Nazi occupation."
Christmas Day saw continued protests and disorder, with two IDF soldiers and a Border Police officer being lightly wounded by stone throwing during violent demonstrations in Beit Ummar, near Hebron. The three were evacuated for medical treatment to the Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Protests began withthe funeral of Khaled Ahmed Alyan Khalili—the terrorist who carried out a vehicular attack two months ago—whose body was returned thispast week. Hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at IDF forces and burned tires prompting security forces to respond with riot control methods.