Israel forces attack Palestinian protesters in West Bank
Israeli soldiers have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse angry Palestinian protesters near the Qalandiya checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli soldiers on Saturday used tear gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades and pepper spray to disperse the protesters and prevent them from reaching the checkpoint.
More than 30 people, mostly women, have been hurt from inhaling tear gas. Men and women participated in the demonstration which was held to mark the International Women's Day on March 8th.
Palestinians used the occasion to denounce Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its aggression against Palestinians.
The rally began in Qalandiya refugee camp, where hundreds of women marched toward the nearby checkpoint. Eyewitnesses said more than a thousand women and some notable political leaders participated in the rally.
Israeli troops were deployed in front of the protesters when they approached the checkpoint. Clashes broke out after the Palestinians refused to move back with Israelis firing tear gas and stun grenades at them. Journalists who were working in the scene were also attacked by the Israeli soldiers.
Qalandiya checkpoint is located between al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Ramallah. Tel Aviv uses the checkpoint to control Palestinians' access to al-Quds.
Palestinian women usually turn up in their thousands in protest rallies against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands and the Zionist regime's continuing acts of aggression.
On April 2, 2014, the Palestinian Authority, which rules the West Bank, became signatory to Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The PA President Mahmoud Abbas intensified efforts to join international conventions in late 2014 after Palestine’s statehood bid was rejected by the United Nations Security Council under pressure from the United States.
On Friday, dozens of Palestinians and international activists held a similar demonstration in Kafr Qaddum village, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilya, to express their resentment over the illegal Israeli settlements and the separation wall.
Israeli troops assaulted the protesters and fired tear gas canisters to break up the protest. Later reports said Israeli soldiers also shot and injured three Palestinian civilians during the clashes.
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