Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in West Bank

Fierce clashes broke out on Saturday between dozens of Palestinians on one hand, Israeli settlers and army soldiers on the other in northern West Bank, witnesses and officials said.

The clashes broke out when dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the village of Qasrah south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, eyewitnesses told Xinhua, adding that farmers and residents confronted them.

During the clashes between the settlers and the Palestinians, Israeli army forces arrived at the scene and dispersed the Palestinians with tear gas and rubber gunshots.

Medics in Nablus said that at least 20 Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, percussion bombs and tear gas, adding that the Israeli army dispersed the Palestinians to protect the Israeli settlers.

Ghassan Daghlass, the Palestinian official in charge of settlements' file, accused the Israeli army forces of directly firing dozens of tear gas, percussion bombs and rubber bullets at the farmers and the residents of the village.

Meanwhile, Israel Public Radio reported that the clashes broke out in the village between dozens of angry Palestinians and Israelis, adding that an Israeli force has intervened using force to disperse the demonstrators.

The West Bank has been witnessing a growing tension between the Palestinians and the Israeli soldiers after the Jewish arson attack on a house on July 31 in the village of Duma near Nablus that killed a toddler and his father.

Since 1967, around half a million Israeli settlers have been living in the West Bank in 120 Israeli settlements, where around 2.7 million Palestinians live in the territory. Tension between the two sides usually turns into violent clashes. Endit