Palestinians, Israeli troops clash
2011-09-23 16:07
Ramallah - Palestinians calling for UN recognition of a Palestinian state clashed with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank on Friday, just hours before their president, Mahmoud Abbas, was to deliver his widely anticipated request to the world body.
The confrontations were small, involving several dozen Palestinians in each of three locations. At Qalandiya, a major Israeli checkpoint between the West Bank and Jerusalem, Israeli troops fired tear gas to disperse Palestinian stone-throwers.
In the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, demonstrators carried a chair painted in the UN's signature blue to symbolise the quest for recognition. They burned Israeli flags and posters of President Barack Obama, and threw stones before being enveloped by tear gas fired by Israeli troops. Clashes were also reported in nearby the village of Bilin.
Abbas has called for peaceful marches in support of his bid to win UN recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem - territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War. Friday is typically a day of Palestinian protests in the West Bank, and the latest unrest did not go beyond the usual scope.
Israeli security forces stepped up their deployment in anticipation of possible widespread violence, though security officials recently scaled back those forecasts. Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said 22 000 officers were on duty across the country on Friday.
- AP