Palestinian-Israeli Clashes Intensify; 7 Die
Palestinian police and Israeli troops battled with automatic weapons Wednesday, casting Israel and the Palestinians into their biggest crisis in three years. Seven people were reported killed and more than 350 were wounded as Palestinians cheered on their police against the Israelis.
The exchanges of fire in the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Bethlehem began during stone-throwing protests by thousands of Palestinians angered by Israel’s decision to open an archaeological tunnel near Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam’s third-holiest site.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who personally ordered completion of the tunnel, said “the decision was good, but the timing was bad.”
Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces also clashed in Arab east Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Hebron. Those scuffles did not involve gunfire and only minor injuries were reported.
Wednesday’s confrontations for the first time involved armed Palestinian forces - 30,000 armed Palestinian police were deployed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of the peace accords.
The violence dealt another blow to Israeli-Palestinian relations, which have faltered since Netanyahu took office in June, and comes at a time when Israel’s relations with much of the Arab world are troubled.
Egypt has accused the new government of reneging on agreements and stalling the peace process, and the specter of war with Syria is in the air. King Hussein of Jordan, Israel’s closest ally in the region, denounced the tunnel Wednesday, calling it an infringement upon the rights of all Arabs and Muslims.
The specter of a new Palestinian uprising could also undermine domestic support for Netanyahu who had narrowly won the elections with a promise of “peace with security.”
The Palestinians postponed a round of talks with Israel that had been scheduled for today. Israel said the talks would be held Sunday.
The Palestinians claim the archaeological tunnel undermines their rights to the Muslim shrines. Netanyahu insists the tunnel does not affect Islamic holy sites.
Seven Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy and two policemen, were killed in rioting near Ramallah, Israel radio said, quoting Palestinian sources. The report could not be immediately confirmed. Earlier, hospital sources in Ramallah said four people had been killed.
More than 350 Palestinian protesters and nine Israeli soldiers were injured in both clashes.
In Ramallah, more than 1,000 Palestinians marched to an army check-point south of the city and hurled stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.
Palestinian witnesses said that by mid-afternoon, Israeli troops took positions on hills overlooking the protesters and opened fire with live ammunition. They said Palestinian police, cheered on by demonstrators, then fired at the Israeli soldiers.
The Israelis and the Palestinians accused one another of using live rounds first. Palestinian witnesses said commanding officers tried to stop junior Palestinian policemen from shooting at the Israeli soldiers, but the policemen defied the orders.