Settlers, Palestinians battle with stones near Shiloh

Three Israelis and five Palestinians were lightly wounded on Thursday when rock-throwing exchanges broke out near the Shiloh settlement 45 km. north of Jerusalem.The incident occurred a day after security forces demolished the home of a family in the fledgling Eli Ayin outpost, right outside Shiloh.Settlers said they had returned to the outpost to rebuild the home, and Palestinians attacked them.The Palestinians said they were passing by on their way to work on their farms when settlers attacked them.A spokesman for the Judea and Samaria Police said dozens of Palestinians and Israelis threw rocks at one another.An IDF spokeswoman added that approximately 100 Palestinians and 100 settlers were involved in the clashes, and that mass stone throwing exchanges occurred.“Three Israelis and five Palestinians were lightly injured by rocks,” the army spokeswoman said.Eitan Meir, who lives in the area, said that a group of 200- 300 Palestinians threw stones at the Israelis as they were rebuilding. He said he believed the Palestinians were emboldened by the destruction of the home the day before, and had come to claim the area.Zacharey Sadeh, a field worker for Rabbis for Human Rights, said that the destruction of the home did make the Palestinians feel that it was safe to go that way to their agricultural land.According to Sadeh, the Palestinians did not approach the settlers, but instead were attacked by them as they were walking on the road further down from the hill.He said settlers fired live ammunition in the air, burned one of the Arabs’ vehicles and threw stones at them.Settlers said that it was Palestinians who torched the vehicle.Settlers as well as Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights, which had field workers in the area, provided The Jerusalem Post with photographs of the vehicle.It was hard to discern from the pictures the sequence of events.In a number of photographs one can see injured Palestinians, one with a wound to the face and another with scratches to his arm.Settlers provided photographs of Palestinians throwing stones. Border Police officers under IDF command were called to the area to end the confrontation, and dispersed the crowds using stun grenades, the police spokesman said.A number of Palestinians reported hearing gunfire during the incident, but police believe it may have been the noise of the stun grenades, the spokesman said.“This issue is still being checked. We’re looking to see if they heard live fire or riot-dispersal means being used,” the spokesman said. One Palestinian was lightly injured by smoke inhalation from a riot-dispersal projectile, he added.A burned-out Palestinian vehicle was also found in the area,” the IDF spokeswoman said.No arrests were made during the incident.