Palestinian Anti-Occupation March Faced by Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas

Numerous injuries reported in the West Bank Friday when Zionist troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a march of some 500 Palestinians protesting against the occupation.

Numerous injuries have been reported in the West Bank Friday when Zionist troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a march of some 500 Palestinians protesting against the occupation and regular attacks by Zionist settlers.

The march outside the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ofra, was organized to highlight violence by the settlers, whom the Palestinians said they attacked them twice this week.

Prior to the march, a number of Palestinian youths have hurled stones at the Zionist military unit which responded with rubber bullets and tear gas at the growing provocation.

According to local witnesses the march was organized in retaliation to Zionist intrusion into Palestinian villages.

The villagers say Zionist settlers set cars on fire in the village, planted a Zionist flag on a church and pelted villagers with stones.

“This was a peaceful area. We're gathered today to say we refuse to be attacked and driven off our own land," said Sami Issa, a resident. "We want their army to pull the settlers out.”

Earlier on Friday, Palestinians threw two homemade bombs and several firebombs at a company of Border Guard troops in eastern Jerusalem. Zionist forces returned fire with crowd-dispersal munitions.

In its weekly report on Zionist human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories for the week of 18- 24 April 2013, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) discovered that there were 98 military incursions into Palestinian villages in the West Bank. During these operations at least 52 Palestinians, including 6 children and a number of Hamas members were abducted. Eight Palestinians, including 4 children and a 70-year-old elderly woman, were wounded in the West Bank.