Dozens of Palestinians injured in anti-settlement rallies in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Dozens of Palestinians on Friday sustained injuries and suffered teargas asphyxiation as Israeli forces opened fire to disperse anti-settlement rallies in the northern occupied West Bank.

The rallies took place in the villages of Kafr Qaddoum, Beit Dajan, and Beita in the northern West Bank, according to Anadolu’s reporter on the ground.

In Kafr Qaddoum, east of Qalqilya city, two Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated bullets along with dozens of others affected by teargas canisters during a confrontation with the Israeli army, according to an activist, Murad Shteiwi, from the popular resistance committee in the village.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a Palestinian child was hit by a teargas canister while dozens of others suffered asphyxiation in Beit Dajan and Beita villages near Nablus city.

On a weekly basis, Palestinians hold demonstrations against illegal Jewish settlements in different parts of the West Bank, especially in Beita, Beit Dajan, and Kafr Qaddoum villages.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate there are about 650,000 settlers living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the West Bank, including in occupied Jerusalem.

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

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar