Violent clashes broke out on Wednesday evening between Palestinian young men and Israeli soldiers in the eastern area of Nablus city as hundreds of Jewish settlers flocked to the area to perform night rituals at Joseph’s Tomb.
Local sources said that dozens of young men blocked roads in the eastern area with rocks and burning tires and confronted Israeli soldiers and their patrol vehicles by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at them.
The skirmishes started after Israeli troops aboard military vehicles including a bulldozer stormed the eastern area of Nablus and spread through its streets in order to provide protection for buses and cars carrying hundreds of settlers.
Eyewitnesses said that hundreds of settlers aboard buses and cars gathered at first at the Beit Furik checkpoint in the east of the city before heading for the area where Joseph’s Tomb is located after the bulldozer and troops cleared the way for them.
They added that the settlers were dancing singing and screaming loudly and hysterically at Joseph’s Tomb for long hours causing a disturbance to local residents.
In a separate incident similar clashes took place earlier in the evening between local youths and Israeli forces near al-Badiya junction in central Jenin.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli troops and their patrol vehicles stormed al-Badiya junction where Palestinian youths confronted them and showered them with stones and Molotov cocktails.
They added that the Israeli forces responded by intensively firing live and rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at the young men.
