Palestinians hurt in clashes with Israel army in Nablus

NABLUS, Palestine (AA) - Dozens of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Nablus at dawn Thursday, local sources have said.

One Journalist and one paramedic were injured by rubber bullets, while dozens more suffered from the effects of excessive teargas, according to local medical sources.

Witnesses said that clashes erupted between local Palestinians and Israeli forces after hundreds of extremist Jewish settlers -- backed by Israeli army troops -- forced their way into a religious shrine in Nablus on Thursday morning.

According to the witnesses, dozens of Palestinian youths gathered at the site to protest the settlers’ arrival, but were soon dispersed by Israeli soldiers firing teargas, rubber bullets and heavy ammunition.

The religious site, which Jews refer to as “Joseph's Tomb”, has long been a flashpoint for violence.

Jews claim the site is the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this assertion, saying an Islamic cleric -- Sheikh Yussef Dawiqat -- was buried at the site two centuries ago.