Clashes broke out between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank and at a holy site in Jerusalem on Friday as tensions rose just weeks before a visit by US President Barack Obama. Trouble broke out after the funeral in the West Bank of a Palestinian who died of wounds on Thursday after being shot by Israeli soldiers during a confrontation two weeks ago.
More than 5,000 people attended the ceremony but afterwards a group of about 100 mourners threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, a military spokeswoman said. In Jerusalem's Old City, Israeli police fired stun grenades at Palestinian worshippers who threw rocks and firebombs at them after Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Dozens of officers in riot gear entered the politically sensitive area, one of Islam's holiest sites, to break up a crowd of several hundred protesters. Palestinian medical workers said about 35 protesters were injured at the plaza, none seriously. A number of policemen were slightly hurt, a police spokesman said. A surge in violence in the occupied West Bank over the past several weeks has raised concern in Israel that a new Palestinian uprising could erupt.