10 Israelis detained at pro-Palestinian protest in Hebron

HEBRON, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Troops detained 10 Israelis on Saturday as they joined a commemoration in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron for 29 Palestinian worshippers killed by a Jewish extremist in 1994.

Some 200 people, most of them Palestinians, took part in the anniversary demonstration which was dispersed after some protesters threw stones at troops, an army spokesperson said.

It came with tensions running high in the Hebron region after scores of Palestinians were killed in a new upsurge of violence since last October.



Many were killed during attacks or attempted attacks on Israelis, but others were shot dead during demonstrations. The majority were youngsters, some as young as 13.

Hebron has always been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A few hundred Jewish settlers live under heavy army guard among several hundred thousand Palestinians in the heart of the West Bank's most populous city.

Protesters take cover after Israeli soldiers (L) fired stun grenades and tear gas during clashes following a demonstration against Jewish settlements and the closing of al-Shuhada street on February 20, 2016 in the West Bank city of Hebron. PHOTO: AFP

The Ibrahimi Mosque, where Baruch Goldstein killed the 29 worshippers in 1994, is also revered by Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and has been a constant source of division.

Since October 1, Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks have taken the lives of 27 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count.

At the same time, 175 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.



Some analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest.

Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a main cause of the violence.