Zionist troops, Palestinians clash in West Bank

Clashes have continued between Israeli forces and the Palestinian residents of the al-Aida refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, Press TV reports.

Since the outbreak of the clashes more than a week ago, Israeli soldiers have fired live rounds, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the Palestinians, wounding dozens of them in the northern West Bank city of Bethlehem.

The Israeli military has also conducted night raids on the refugee camp and made a number of arrests over the past week.

This is while Tel Aviv has imposed a siege on al-Aida, preventing Palestinian children and adults from going to school and work.

In retaliation, Palestinians destroyed a section of the separation wall, known as the apartheid wall, in the occupied West Bank and set fire to an Israeli watchtower earlier this week.

On March 19, Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank village of Deir al-Asal al-Tahta. The Israeli rights group B’Tselem held Israeli commanders responsible for the boy’s death.

The NGO has also denounced Israeli forces for using live fire, without warning, against youngsters looking for gundelia, a thistle-like plant used in cooking.

The rise in tensions in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories comes amid bleak prospects of an agreement between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in their US-sponsored stalled talks.

Earlier this week, acting PA chief Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israel for sabotaging the talks, saying Israel is not willing to end its occupation of Palestinian lands.

Israel’s settlement activities have been the main obstacle to the peace and also any progress in talks between Palestinians and Tel Aviv.