Dozens of Palestinians injured in clashes with Israeli occupation forces in West Bank

OCCUPIED PALESTINE, Feb. 26 (YPA) – At least 22 Palestinian protesters have been injured by Israeli occupation forces on Friday in Beita and Beit Dajan villages in Nablus in the occupied West Bank while participating in the weekly anti-occupation protests.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 22 Palestinians have been injuried by the Israeli occupation forces during the peaceful protests against Israel’s occupation in Beita and Beit Dajan villages.

The forces attacked the protesters by intensively firing rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, and live ammunition to disperse them.

Among the injuries are 5 with rubber-coated metal bullets.

Beit Dajan and Beita villages are the site of weekly protests against the Israeli occupation and settlement expansion, which are often suppressed by Israeli forces.

While Beit Dajan village lands spread across approximately 6,650 acres, according to the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem, large swathes of territory east of the village have been confiscated by the occupation state, labelled military zones and turned into the site for military bases and settlements, which are illegal under international law.

A large part of the village lands were seized for the construction of Al-Hamra and Mekhora (Mehola) illegal settlements, east and southeast of the village, in 1971 and 1973.

Since then, Beita has witnessed several protests and night-confusion activities against the new settler outpost of Evyatar on Jabal Sabih. Palestinians worshippers also perform the Friday prayer near the village as a sign of protest.

However, although the protests have been peaceful, Israeli forces have suppressed, detained, and assaulted the protesters, resulting in injuring hundreds and killing others as they have fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters, and live ammunition directly and intensively towards the protesters.

E.M