Clashes leave 2 Palestinians dead, 3 soldiers wounded

Throughout Monday, the IDF recorded a total of 64 violent disturbances, some of them large scale.

Palestinians throw stones towards Israeli police (not seen) during clashes in Shuafat, an Arab suburb of Jerusalem (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians throw stones towards Israeli police (not seen) during clashes in Shuafat, an Arab suburb of Jerusalem
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Two Palestinians were killed and 51 were wounded in the course of violent clashes with security forces across the West Bank on Sunday and Monday while three IDF soldiers sustained wounds.
On Monday, a Bethlehem hospital said Abdel-Rahman Abeidallah, a 13-year-old boy, died of a bullet wound to the heart sustained during a clash with the IDF near Bethlehem.
The IDF said a riot had occurred at Rachel’s Tomb, in which Palestinians hurled rocks at security forces and soldiers responded with crowd dispersal means, as well as by firing Ruger rifle rounds.
The IDF will examine Palestinian accounts of the casualty, an army spokeswoman said.
The North Bethlehem Aida Refugee camp and Rachel’s Tomb areas have been the scenes of continuous Palestinian rioting over the course of several days, including fire-bombings and explosive-device attacks.
On Sunday, a Border Police officer was lightly hurt by shrapnel in one of his legs when a pipe bomb was thrown at officers stationed at Rachel’s Tomb. He was treated at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and released later in the day.
Shortly before the attack, a number of rioters had descended upon the area to throw stones at soldiers and worshipers, Border Police said.
Throughout Monday, the IDF recorded a total of 64 violent disturbances, some of them large scale. The Binyamin Territorial Brigade recorded 20 riots, in which a total of 1,050 Palestinians took part. The Etzion Territorial Brigade dealt with 13 riots, involving 950 Palestinians, and the Judea Territorial Brigade responded to 13 incidents involving some 550 Palestinians. The Samara Brigade responded to three disturbances, involving a total of 200 rioters, and the Menashe Brigade dealt with four disturbances, in which some 150 Palestinians took part.
Palestinian rioters clashed with security forces in multiple locations across the West Bank on Sunday.
On Sunday night, a Palestinian rioter was shot and killed during a violent clash with the IDF in Tulkarm.
According to an army spokeswoman, before the shooting, some 100 to 200 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas threw rocks and firebombs at soldiers in the area of the Tulkarm crossing.
The rioters also shot off fireworks at soldiers and set tires on fire.
The IDF directed live fire at three men who hurled firebombs, striking one of the rioters, the spokeswoman said. The man died of his injuries, and the army said it is investigating the incident.
At Bir Zeit, a town north of Ramallah, 15 Palestinians threw rocks at soldiers who responded with non-lethal crowd-control means and fired warning shots in the air. There were no injuries in that incident.
In the settlement of Otniel, near Duma, 30 settlers blocked a road and spray painted graffiti. An Israeli suffered light burn wounds to his face during that incident, the army said.
At Shilo junction, 40 settlers blocked a road and hurled rocks at Palestinian vehicles, an IDF spokeswoman said. Palestinians then arrived and hurled rocks at Israeli vehicles, damaging a car.
In the Palestinian village of Khorse, southwest of Hebron, 30 Palestinians hurled firebombs and rocks at an IDF unit, which responded with non-lethal riot-dispersal means. In the same area, Border Police deployed crowd control measures during a clash.
The largest incident on Sunday occurred in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, where 250 Palestinians hurled rocks and firebombs at security forces, which fired rubber bullets at the legs of rioters, striking four Palestinians who sustained wounds. Their condition is unknown.
A fire broke out near the Palestinian village of Uris, near Yitzhar, though it is not clear who started it, the army said. Palestinians formed a crowd in the area, and hurled rocks at soldiers who responded by firing low-impact Ruger-rifle rounds. A Palestinian sustained an injury in that clash, and was evacuated to a West Bank hospital.
His condition is unknown, the army said. Soon afterwards, some 60 Palestinians clashed with 20 settlers. There were no known injuries in that incident.
At the Hasam Shoter IDF point in Hebron, some 60 Palestinians threw rocks throughout the day on Sunday and burned tires. They also fired fireworks at soldiers, and one rioter hurled an improvised grenade at security forces, injuring himself in the process. The IDF responded with non-lethal crowd control measures, and two Palestinians were wounded by Ruger-rifle rounds; one is in moderate condition and the second was lightly hurt, the army said. Both were shot in the lower body.
In the same vicinity, a soldier was lightly wounded during a violent disturbance by Palestinians.
Since the murder of the Henkin couple Thursday night, Judea and Samaria police say they have arrested 14 Israelis on suspicion of carrying out violent attacks on Palestinians.
By Monday, only one remained in custody, a 15-year-old from Psagot caught throwing rocks at Palestinian cars at the Kochav Yaakov junction on Saturday. On Sunday the teen was taken to a remand extension and ordered kept in custody until Tuesday.
The IDF arrested six Jewish suspects since from Friday to Monday on suspicion of assaulting Palestinians.
B’tselem said on Thursday that immediately following news of the attack on the Henkin family, settlers in the area of the attack began to stone Palestinian vehicles and ambulances, as well as houses in the Palestinian village of Burin, near the settlement of Yitzhar.
Judea and Samaria police said Friday morning that overnight in the Palestinian village of Beitillu unknown assailants torched a car belonging to a local resident and spray-painted “avenge Henkin” on the wall of a house. An investigation was opened, but no arrests have been made.
Reuters contributed to this report.