Israeli Troops, Palestinian Protesters Clash in Hebron

As they tend to do

Israeli troops clashed with dozens of stone-throwing protesters in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds who had approached a military checkpoint protecting Jewish settlers.

It was the most serious violence in a series of demonstrations carried out in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Friday meant to mark the 13th anniversary of the second Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.

Hebron is a frequent site of clashes. Several hundred hard-line Jewish settlers live in heavily fortified enclaves in the biblical city, home to some 170,000 Palestinians. Tensions there were further heightened this week when an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper who remains at large.