Palestinians, Jewish Settlers Scuffle in West Bank
Jewish settlers overturned market stalls, Palestinians hurled stones, and Israeli troops fired rubber bullets in a three-way melee Saturday in this divided town.
The renewed violence signaled how difficult it could be to carry out a future peace treaty, including evicting Israelis from communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Palestinians said that was the message settlers in Hebron wanted to send Saturday.
“The settlers want to put pressure on the Israeli delegation [to the peace talks],” said Mustafa Natshe, mayor of Hebron, a divided city that is home to 130,000 Palestinians.
Settler leader Noam Arnon denied the allegations. He said that Palestinians have been throwing metal objects at settler homes in recent weeks and that two women were injured Saturday.
In response, settlers closed to Palestinian traffic Shuhada Street, a main thoroughfare that passes by several of their guarded compounds.
Fistfights erupted, and 40 to 50 settlers went to an outdoor market and overturned stalls. Israeli troops intervened, scuffling with settlers and Palestinian vendors. Four soldiers pushed a Palestinian man into a van. Another soldier struck a Palestinian with his boots and rifle butt.
The beatings angered Palestinian bystanders, who threw stones at soldiers. Troops fired rubber bullets to disperse the stone-throwers.
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