W. Bank: Palestinians hurl stones at IDF, Israelis

According to IDF, no injuries suffered, although some vehicles damaged in 14 separate attacks throughout West Bank.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
Palestinian stone throwers in Hebron after funeral 150 (photo credit: TOVAH LAZAROFF)
Palestinian stone throwers in Hebron after funeral 150
(photo credit: TOVAH LAZAROFF)
Palestinians threw stones at IDF soldiers and Israeli vehicles in at least 14 separate incidents throughout the West Bank on Thursday.
There were no injuries, although some vehicles suffered damage, the IDF said.
Since Operation Pillar of Defense, there has been a marked increase in the number of Molotov cocktail and stone-throwing incidents, said Shlomo Vaknin, who heads security for the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
Although the Gaza operation is over, the West Bank has not calmed down, he said, adding that many of the incidents involved groups of Palestinians who seemed emboldened to attack soldiers.
He said he had brought the matter up on Thursday with Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, during a meeting about car accident-related problems with West Bank road safety.
According to the IDF, there were eight incidents on West Bank roads in which Palestinians threw stones at Israeli vehicles, damaging some of them, including two buses.
Separately there were six incidents in which groups of Palestinians attacked IDF soldiers.
Near Nablus and the Yitzhar settlement, five Palestinians threw stones at soldiers, who responded with riot dispersal methods, according to the army.
By the Ofra settlement, 100 Palestinians flung stones at the IDF, and were similarly dispersed. Near Ramallah, 30 Palestinians threw rocks at soldiers, as did a group of 50 in the Gush Talmonim area and 60 near the Shiloh settlement. Palestinians also threw stones at soldiers in the Bethlehem area.
In a separate incident, Palestinians hurled stones, Molotov cocktails and two pipe bombs at Rachel’s Tomb, according to the IDF. One woman was treated for shock.
The violent outbreaks came just one day after Channel 10 aired an interview with jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, whom Israel sentenced to life in prison for his role in past suicide bombings.
In that interview, jointly conducted with Haaretz during Operation Pillar of Defense, Barghouti warned that if the occupation continued, there would be a third intifada.