Israelis and Palestinians Clash in West Bank Melee
A fight between settlers and schoolchildren escalated into a melee between hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians in Hebron on Saturday.
About 200 Jewish settlers, many of them armed, exchanged blows and insults with 100 Palestinians before Israeli troops intervened. Several Palestinian youths pelted the troops with stones and tomatoes.
Settlers clapped and cheered as the troops pushed the Palestinians away. Reporters saw at least one Palestinian beaten unconscious; another was bleeding from his nose and mouth.
It was unclear what sparked the confrontations.
Meanwhile, U.S. Middle East peace envoy Dennis Ross launched a new bid Saturday to broker an elusive Hebron accord between Israel and the Palestinians. He traveled to the Gaza Strip for talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Ross, whose last mediation effort collapsed in October, was to bring new ideas for bridging the gaps between Israelis and Palestinians on the Israeli troop withdrawal from Hebron.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
