Affrontements à Beitounia – mars 2010

Clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian demonstrators in the West Bank

Ennaharonline.com

31 March, 2010

BEITOUNIA (West Bank) – Israeli security forces fired tear gas to disperse Palestinian demonstrators who threw stones to protest against the detention of a Fatah leader in the occupied West Bank, witnesses said.

Some 300 Palestinians gathered outside the checkpoint Beitounia near the Ofer military prison, where a dozen Palestinian militants, including a Fatah leader, Abbas Zaki, have been detained since Sunday.

M. Zaki, member of the Central Committee of Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas and other activists were arrested during a parade held in Bethlehem in the West Bank to protest against Israeli restrictions imposed on Palestinian Christians wishing to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday.

The Israeli army declined to comment immediately.

The Israeli authorities have sealed off the occupied West Bank « for security reasons » during the celebration of Passover until next Tuesday.

3 Border Police officers lightly hurt in West Bank clashes

haaretz.com/

31/03/2010

Three Border Police officers were lightly hurt on Wednesday in clashes with 200 Palestinian and left-wing activists near Ramallah, who were calling for the release of Palestinians arrested earlier in the week.

Protesters hurled stones at Israeli security forces by the Ofer prison near the Bitunia crossing, located west of Ramallah.

The activists were protesting the arrest on Sunday of ten activists in Bethlehem, among them senior Fatah officials including Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki.

Two demonstrators were arrested in Wednesday’s clashes.

The protesters reprotedly tried to break through the crossing to reach Ofer Prison, where Zaki and the other detained officials are being held.

Meanwhile, about 50 protesters rioted and threw stones at IDF forces at the Shaked crossing near Jenin, Channel 10 news reported.

On Tuesday, ten thousand protesters participated in an annual procession to mark the events of Land Day in Sakhnin in 1976, in which six demonstrators lost their lives in clashes with Israeli security forces.

The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee noted that the commemoration takes place « while homes continue to be razed – mostly in Wadi Ara and in the Negev, and we demand that the planning blueprints and areas of municipal control for Arab communities be increased. »

The committee also commented on the issue of Jerusalem and the continued policy of building Jewish settlements of East Jerusalem, along with the Israeli refusal to end occupation and work toward the creation of a Palestinian state living next to it.