Palestinians demonstrate across West Bank

Israeli forces suppressed weekly demonstrations across the occupied West Bank on Friday, as Palestinians rallied against the wall and settlements. In Bethlehem, three Palestinians suffered bruises as Israeli forces shut down a demonstration in al-Masaara, said Muhammad Brejiyeh of the local popular committee. Brejiyeh said soldiers beat demonstrators with sticks and rifle butts. In Qalqiliya, Israeli forces suppressed the weekly protest in the Kafr Qaddum village which is protesting to lift a closure of the area's main entrance; it has not been open for 10 years. Palestinians, Israeli peace activists and international supporters participated in the march which started after the Friday prayers in the Omar Ben al-Khattab mosque, he said. Murad Shtewy, the media coordinator and spokesman for the demonstrations in the village, said protesters marked the 23rd anniversary of the declaration of independence. Israeli forces closed routes to the village and fired tear-gas canisters, he said. In the Ramallah area, locals and international activists joined several demonstrations against the wall and settlements, marking independence day as well as the seventh anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat. The popular committee in Bilin said Israeli forces shot rubber-coated bullets, tear gas and stun grenades toward the demonstrators as soon as they reached their lands near the under-construction wall. In Hebron, Israeli forces detained a boy from Beit Ummar and attacked two funerals, the Beit Ummar municipality said in a statement. Soldiers fired tear gas toward the mourners and detained a child, it said. The municipality added that Israeli forces reinforced their presence at the entrance of the village and the cemetery, which was closed two weeks earlier. Clashes erupted en route to the graveyard.