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Palestinian man shot, hurt amid ongoing W. Bank clashes

Dozens of Palestinians were reportedly injured in Friday's clashes with Israeli troops across occupied West Bank

Ersin Çelik
17:06 - 15/12/2017 Friday
Update: 17:07 - 15/12/2017 Friday
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Israeli security forces use force to take a Palestinian demonstrator into custody during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in Old City of Jerusalem on December 15, 2017.
Israeli security forces use force to take a Palestinian demonstrator into custody during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in Old City of Jerusalem on December 15, 2017.
A Palestinian man was shot and injured after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier amid clashes that erupted Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to eyewitnesses.

"Three Israeli soldiers fired 20 bullets at the young man at close range," one witness told Anadolu Agency.

"He has since been taken to a hospital in Ramallah for treatment where he remains in critical condition," added the witness, speaking anonymously due to security concerns.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), dozens of Palestinians were injured Friday in clashes with the Israeli army that broke out across the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the PRCS said as many as 60 people had suffered injuries during clashes that occurred in the West Bank cities of Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron (Al-Khalil), Bethlehem, Tulkarm and Jenin.

"Ten were injured by live ammunition, including two who are now in critical condition," the statement read.

"Twenty others sustained injuries from rubber bullets while 30 more suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation," it added.

Israeli forces, the PRCS noted, had also assaulted four journalists during clashes in Ramallah and Hebron.

At least four Palestinians have been martyred and hundreds injured in clashes with Israeli forces -- and at least one alleged airstrike -- since U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The dramatic shift in U.S. policy has drawn a storm of condemnation and protest across the Arab and Muslim world.

At a Tuesday summit convened in Istanbul, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation responded to the U.S. move by recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967-- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

In April, Russia recognized West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, voicing hope that the city's eastern half might eventually serve as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.

Trump, in his announcement last week, stressed that the "specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem" should be decided in final-status talks between the two sides.

#Jerusalem
#Clashes
#Israel
#Palestine
#West Bank
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