Anees Suheil Barghouti
26 June 2018•Update: 26 June 2018
RAMALLAH, Palestine
At least 17 Palestinians were injured during clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, according to a local Palestinian NGO.
Local residents said the clashes occurred after hundreds of Jewish settlers forced their way into the city to perform rituals at a local shrine.
One Palestinian was shot with live ammunition and 16 others with rubber bullets, while dozens suffered teargas inhalation, the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) said in a statement.
The site, which Jews refer to as "Joseph's Tomb", has long been a flashpoint for violence.
Jews believe the site to be the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this assertion, saying an Islamic cleric -- Sheikh Yussef Dawiqat -- was buried at the site two centuries ago.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces detained 17 Palestinians during overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said on Tuesday.
The individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army claimed in a statement without elaborating.
The detainees have been remanded into custody for further investigation, the statement said.
The Israeli army frequently conducts wide-ranging arrest campaigns in the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for "wanted" Palestinians.
According to Palestinian figures, more than 6,400 Palestinians are currently being held in detention facilities throughout the self-proclaimed Jewish state.
