Israeli army disperses protest against land seizure in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

HEBRON, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces on Saturday dispersed a protest against the seizure of Palestinian lands in the West Bank city of Hebron.

A number of Palestinians were injured during the protest in Ain al-Bayda area in Hebron from sound bombs and assaults by Israeli soldiers, eyewitnesses said.

Saturday’s rally was organized by local activists to denounce the seizure of large areas of farmland in Ain al-Bayda area by Jewish settlers.

"The Israeli army provides protection for the settlers to seize Palestinian lands," Ratib al-Jabour, a local activist, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the protest was staged in solidarity with Palestinian residents who were prevented from reaching their lands and grazing their livestock by Israeli settlers in Hebron.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate there are about 660,000 settlers living in 145 settlements and 140 outposts in the occupied West Bank.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in occupied territories are considered illegal.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara