16 March 2018•Update: 16 March 2018
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Dozens of Palestinians were injured in Friday clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and in the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to a Palestinian NGO.
Israeli forces used teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to disperse Palestinian protesters near the Jewish-only Beit El settlement north of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
“Two Palestinians were injured by live ammunition and ten by rubber bullets. Seven others suffered from teargas inhalation,” the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) said in a statement.
Near the northern cities of Nablus and Tulkarm, six Palestinians were hurt by rubber bullets, while 60 others suffered the effects of excessive teargas, according to the PRC.
In the blockaded Gaza Strip, meanwhile, nine Palestinians were injured by live ammunition -- and dozens more suffered from teargas -- during clashes that erupted near the Gaza-Israel border.
The Palestinian territories have remained tense since Dec. 6, when U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking widespread condemnation and protest across the region.
Since then, at least 25 Palestinians have been martyred in frequent clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.
