Clashes in West Bank following death of Palestinian baby, teen
Dozens of settlers from the Esh Kodesh attack Palestinian farmers, trying to stop them from working their land; Palestinians clash with security forces at funeral of 17-year-old killed by IDF fire after throwing a Molotov cocktail at troops.
Clashes continued into the late afternoon hours on Saturday across the West Bank and in Jerusalem, as masked Palestinians used burning tires to block the main road outside Duma, where unknown Jewish perpetrators set fire to the Dawabsheh family home, killing 22-month-old Ali Dawabsheh and seriously wounding his parents and brother.
Some 200 men and women blocked Highway 65 near Ayn al-Sahla in Wadi Ara in protest of the murder of Ali Dawabsheh from the village Duma. They pelted an Israeli police vehicle that arrived at the scene with stones, waved Palestinian flags and called to bring the murderers to justice.
The protesters were joined by Joint Arab List MKs Jamal Zahalka and Yousef Jabareen, who were not part of the road-blocking.
Palestinian youths clashed with security forces in the Jalazun refugee camp on Saturday afternoon following the funeral of Leith Khalidi, 17, who was killed by IDF fire on Friday night after throwing a Molotov cocktail at troops near Birzeit north of Ramallah.
On Saturday morning, Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian farmers from the village Qusra, who were preparing the land for planting some 100 meters from the security fence of the settlement Esh Kodesh.
The incident was over rather quickly after the IDF separated the parties.
The dispute surrounds the question of land ownership, and officers from the military coordination office were on the scene to examine whether the work was being conducted in area B or C.
These clashes are a regular occurrence in the agricultural plots surrounding Qusra. The settlers claim that the land belongs to the State of Israel, and that a Jewish-owned vineyard nearby was set ablaze by the Palestinians.
According to the settlers, the work was a provocation orchestrated by the organization "Rabbis for Human Rights" (a pro-Palestinian human rights organization), and other European left-wing activists who arrived with locals from the nearby villages in order to build infrastructure on disputed land.
Overnight violence
Additional clashes and protests erupted in the West Bank Friday, giving rise to intense fears of further escalation.
Riots first began in Jerusalem where Hamas had already declared a "Day of Rage" following clashes at the Temple Mount. The Palestinian organization based in Gaza then called on West Bank residents to demonstrate in response to the Duma Jewish terrorist attack.
One police officer was lightly wounded by broken glass from a bottle thrown at security forces in the Old City of Jerusalem alongside rocks and other objects. One Palestinian was arrested.
Several young Palestinians threw rocks at the entrance to Qalandiya, just north of Jerusalem. Border Police responded with tear gas, dispersing the crowd.
In Isawiya in East Jerusalem, Border Police clashed with dozens of Palestinians who threw fire bombs and stones at security forces. The rioters were met with riot-control measures and pushed back toward the center of the neighborhood
