- More than 140 Palestinians were injured in the conflict, 9 of them were wounded by live ammunition, 34 were wounded by rubber bullets, and 87 were wounded by tear gas.
- The riots were instigated in the outpost area of Givat Eviatar.
- Two soldiers were also injured and taken to the hospital.
Medical staff said that in protests against outposts of illegal Israeli settlements, more than 140 Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in the Flashpoint Beta village of the West Bank on Friday.
The Israeli army stated that two soldiers were also “lightly injured” in the violence.
An Agence France-Presse reporter said hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Beta, located in the northern West Bank of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to protest against the nearby Evita outpost.
Demonstrations against the expansion of settlements on Palestinian land often occur in the area.
The Israeli army stated that “in the past few hours, there has been riots in the Givat Eviatar outpost south of Nablus”.
It said in a statement: “Hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at the Israel Defense Forces (Army) units, who responded by dispersing the riots,” adding that two “lightly wounded” soldiers had been sent hospital.
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The Palestine Red Crescent Society said that 146 Palestinians were injured in the conflict, of which 9 were wounded by live ammunition, 34 were hit by rubber bullets, and 87 were wounded by tear gas.
Jewish settlers established the Eviatar outpost in early May and built simple concrete houses and shacks within a few weeks.
The building ignored international and Israeli laws and triggered fierce protests from the Palestinians, who insisted that it was built on their land.
But after reaching an agreement with the new government of Nationalist Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the settlers left the outpost on July 2nd, while the buildings they built were still guarded by the army.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense stated that it will study the area to assess whether it can be declared state-owned land under Israeli law.
If this happens, Israel can authorize the construction of a religious school in Eviatar to provide housing for its staff and students.
About 475,000 Jewish settlers now live in the West Bank occupied by Israel since 1967.
