Israeli forces clash with Palestinians at West Bank

Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian youth during demonstrations Tuesday at a major checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah. Several hundred Palestinians demonstrated at the Qalandia checkpoint, with some throwing stones.  Israeli forces wearing riot gear fired rubber bullets and threw stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Violence has intensified in East […]

Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian youth during demonstrations Tuesday at a major checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Several hundred Palestinians demonstrated at the Qalandia checkpoint, with some throwing stones.  Israeli forces wearing riot gear fired rubber bullets and threw stun grenades to disperse the crowd.
Violence has intensified in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in recent weeks mainly over the Jerusalem holy site revered by Muslims as the al-Aqsa mosque and Jews as the Temple Mount. 
Four Israelis have been killed in shooting and stabbing attacks in recent days. 
On Monday, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian teenagers who were throwing stones.  Israeli police also arrested five Palestinians accused in last week’s drive-by shooting that killed an Israeli couple.
The Israeli army said it has demolished Tuesday the homes of two Palestinian militants who carried out deadly attacks last year in Jerusalem.
Israel says the move is aimed at deterring Palestinian terrorists after a wave of shootings and stabbings that left four Israelis dead since Thursday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a “strong hand” to fight terror and to quell unrest that has raised fears of a third Palestinian uprising.