Palestinians scuffle with Israeli troops over West Bank hilltops as Israelis count votes

Record ID: 1461933

  • Title: Palestinians scuffle with Israeli troops over West Bank hilltops as Israelis count votes
  • Date: 4th March 2020
  • Summary: QUSRA, WEST BANK (MARCH 3, 2020) (REUTERS) PALESTINIAN OWNER OF PART OF THE LAND WHERE ISRAELI FORCES WORK IS SCREAMING IN (Arabic): 'THIS IS MY LAND AND THIS IS A DOCUMENT TO PROVE IT' (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN LANDOWNER, RIZKALLAH ABU RIEYDAH, SAYING: "My problem is that an Israeli court approved my right to this land, and today they are stealing it from me. This is my right. They are thieves." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN LANDOWNER, JOUDAT ODEH, 70, SAYING: "This (land) is for me. When they (Israeli forces) opened this road, they cut my land in half. Back then, they gave me approval that this is my land, and my father's and my grandfather's. I want to go there and want to die there." QUSRA, WEST BANK (MARCH 2, 2020) (REUTERS) ISRAELI FORCES THROWING STUN GRENADES TO DISPERSE PALESTINIANS PROTESTING AGAINST ISRAELI FORCES WORKING IN THEIR LANDS PALESTINIANS HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAGS PROTESTING IN THEIR LAND ISRAELI SOLDIER WATCHING SCENE QUSRA, WEST BANK (MARCH 1, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ISRAELI BULLDOZER WORKING AT SCENE QUSRA, WEST BANK (MARCH 2, 2020) (REUTERS) ISRAELI SOLDIERS GATHERING AT SCENE ISRAELI SOLDIER EQUIPPED WITH TEAR GAS GRENADES QUSRA, WEST BANK (MARCH 4, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PALESTINIAN LANDOWNER SHOWING HIS LAND ISRAELI BULLDOZER WORKING AT SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN LANDOWNER, ISMAIL ODEH, 69, SAYING: "More than 30-40 thousand Palestinians depend completely on this land, by farming it and the olive trees on it. In 1979 they (Israeli forces) opened this road, 'Alon street', but they gave us documents that approve our ownership of the land. We have a lot of documents that say that we own this land." ISRAELI BULLDOZERS WORKING AT SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN LANDOWNER ISMAIL ODEH, 69, SAYING: "This land used to be for farming. Now, they (Israel) claim that the land is for government use, or confiscated land, or absentee land. How it can be an absentee land when we still exist?" QUSRA, WEST BANK (MARCH 3, 2020) (REUTERS) INJURED PALESTINIAN ON GROUND, PARAMEDIC NEXT TO HIM, ISRAELI FORCES AT SCENE VARIOUS OF ISRAELI SOLDIER CHECKING LAND DOCUMENTS OF PALESTINIAN LANDOWNERS ISRAELI MILITARY VEHICLE SECURING SCENE WHILE ISRAELI BULLDOZERS WORKING ISRAELI FORCES PUSHING PALESTINIAN AWAY ISRAELI FORCES SECURING SCENE ISRAELI SOLDIER AT SCENE QUSRA, WEST BANK (MARCH 1, 2020) (REUTERS) PALESTINIANS THROWING STONES TOWARDS ISRAELI SOLDIERS, (AUDIO OF GUN SHOTS) ISRAELI SOLDIERS FIRING TEAR GAS TOWARDS PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS SMOKE OF TEAR GAS COVERING SCENE PALESTINIANS THROWING STONES INJURED PALESTINIAN ON GROUND PEOPLE AND PARAMEDIC CARRYING INJURED PALESTINIAN
  • Embargoed: 18th March 2020 13:22
  • Keywords: Israel Palestinians Qusra West Bank settlement settlers
  • Location: QUSRA, WEST BANK
  • City: QUSRA, WEST BANK
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA001C3N0AIV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Palestinians launched protests in the occupied West Bank after Israeli bulldozers began clearing land in what villagers fear is an attempt to confiscate the area for future Jewish settlements.
    The scuffles intensified as Israeli voters went to the polls, with Palestinians claiming settlers had been emboldened by U.S. President Donald Trump's Mideast plan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pre-election vow to annex settlements if he wins.
    Dozens of residents of Beita village climbed al-Arma hilltop near Nablus on Monday (March 2) to defend it, raising a Palestinian flag as some demonstrators hurled rocks at Israeli troops.
    The Israeli military said that Israeli settlers were carrying out "agricultural work" in the area in question and that "around 30 Palestinians came to the area, hurled rocks and came into physical confrontation with the Israelis".
    Troops then came to the area and dispersed the crowd, the military said, after which "around 120 Palestinians" gathered close to the area, burning tires and throwing rocks towards troops "who responded with riot dispersal means".
    Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party leads the vote count, but with 99% of votes counted on Wednesday, he was still short of securing enough seats for a governing coalition of like-minded conservative parties.
    "This (land) is for me. When they (Israeli forces) opened this road, they cut my land in half. Back then, they gave me approval that this is my land, and my father's and my grandfather's," said Joudat Odeh, 70, from Qusra village during a protest on Tuesday (March 3).
    "I want to go there and want to die there," said Odeh, who claimed to have documents from Israeli authorities confirming his ownership of the land.
    Villagers from Beita and Qusra held protests at two hilltops, saying Israeli forces responded with tear gas bombs and stun grenades. Israeli soldiers detained some protesters, witnesses said.
    Six Israeli bulldozers, protected by army forces, worked on land near the existing settlement of Majdaleem, as Palestinians from Qusra looked on.
    (Production: Ashraf Shaweish, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh)
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