Ramallah, June 5
A total of 113 Palestinian protesters were injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, medical sources said.
The clashes broke out on Friday when Israeli soldiers dispersed an anti-settlement rally in the village of Beita, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Xinhua news agency reported citing the sources as saying.
Witnesses said Israeli soldiers fired teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to disperse the protesters who threw stones at the soldiers.
The rally on Friday afternoon at Jabal Sbeih Mountain near the village was held to protest against the Jewish settlers' preparedness to set up a settlement outpost.
The protesters said Israeli settlers set up over 20 mobile caravans on the mountain as a prelude to a complete takeover of the mountain to establish the outpost.
Ahmad Jibril, director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society's emergency department, told reporters that 16 Palestinians who were injured by live ammunition were evacuated to hospitals, while 20 injured by rubber bullets, four beaten by the soldiers, and 73 suffered from teargas inhalation.
One of them sustained a serious injury after being hit by a live bullet on the neck, Jibril said.
Every Friday, dozens of Palestinians demonstrate in various areas in the West Bank against the Israeli plans of expanding settlements, demolishing homes, and confiscating lands.
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