Israeli troops clash with Palestinian protesters in West Bank

Ramallah: Israeli forces on Friday invaded several towns in the West Bank to attack non-violent protest marches organized by Palestinian peace groups in Battir (west of Bethlehem), Hebron, and Kafr Qaddoum.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, dozens of Palestinian protesters were injured during clashes.

In Battir, local sources reported that the Israeli soldiers attacked the non-violent demonstration which was being held in the Bardmo area, which is threatened by Israeli colonizers, who are trying to take over the land to construct an illegal Israeli colony there. The land in question is located in the town of Battir, west of Bethlehem.

Palestinian witnesses told Xinhua news agency that fierce clashes broke out on Friday in the villages of Beita and Beit Dajan, south and east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus in the southern city of Hebron, and in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qaqilya.

Among the injured, two were shot by live ammunition, 20 by rubber bullets, and dozens suffered from inhaling teargas, according to the organisation.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned what it termed as "the brutal repression practised by the Israeli forces against the peaceful protesters".

Israeli authorities have not given any comment on the incidents.

The West Bank cities have seen weekly protests by Palestinians against the expansion of Israeli settlements.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, in the 1967 Middle East war.