Palestinians gathered in the Jabal Tarusa area of the occupied West Bank on Friday to protest Israeli plans to expand settlements near the city of Dura.
Demonstrators held congregational Friday prayers at the site and voiced opposition to the project, which they say threatens to further isolate Palestinian communities from one another.
"We came... To protest these racist practices," said Aeyed Al-Atabi, a resident of Dura, who expressed concern that the development would cut the area off from nearby Palestinian villages.
Israeli forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protest, according to reports. Israeli authorities announced plans for the settlement project in January, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich laid its foundation stone on Tuesday.
In protest of illegal Israeli settlement expansion plans in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians gathered to pray Friday prayers in congregation in the Jabal Tarusa area. pic.twitter.com/z0sqd56Usy
Middle East Eye ISSN 2634-2456
