Daijiworld Media Network - Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, Jul 26: Hundreds of Israeli activists staged a protest in central Tel Aviv against escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, with police arresting nine demonstrators after the rally disrupted traffic, according to local media and protest organisers.
The demonstration, held on Kaplan Street and organised by the left-wing Hadash party along with allied groups, came a day after a deadly confrontation near the Palestinian village of Tal, southwest of Nablus, in which four Palestinians and two Israelis, including two soldiers, were killed.
Protesters accused the Israeli government of failing to prevent attacks by extremist settlers and called for stronger action to curb violence in the occupied West Bank. Organisers said more than 200 people participated in the demonstration, while the Mothers Against Violence group alleged that police used force while dispersing the crowd.
Israeli police said the protest had not been authorised and that demonstrators blocked a major roadway, prompting officers to intervene and arrest nine people for allegedly disrupting public order.
The protest followed a violent incident in Tal on Friday after a group of Israeli settlers entered the Palestinian village without military coordination. Palestinian officials alleged that the settlers attempted to attack residents, triggering clashes in which armed settlers, villagers and Israeli soldiers exchanged fire. Israeli authorities later acknowledged that some of the civilians involved were armed.
In the aftermath of the confrontation, Israeli forces launched a large-scale operation in and around Tal, detaining dozens of Palestinians for questioning. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced tougher security measures, including accelerating settlement construction and other punitive actions.
On Sunday, violence spread to nearby Palestinian villages, where settlers allegedly set fire to two mosques and vandalised buildings with Hebrew graffiti. The Israeli military condemned the attacks and said an investigation had been launched.