Clashes flare in West Bank as Palestinians stone Israeli car and Jewish assailants target olive harvest

Palestinians hurled rocks at an Israeli vehicle near Beit Umar, north of Hebron, on Saturday, according to Israeli media reports. The impact shattered the windshield, lightly injuring the driver with broken glass.

Israeli security forces set up roadblocks in the area and immediately launched a search for the attackers, the reports said.

Separately on Saturday, masked Jewish Israelis armed with clubs were seen traveling in a pickup truck near the village of Beit Fajar, a short distance from Beit Umar. Their reported aim was to assault Palestinians who had come to harvest olives, Israeli media outlets noted.

The rioters damaged a Palestinian car before Israeli security forces arrived on the scene, Army Radio reported, citing the IDF. Five Palestinians were wounded in the incident, according to KAN.

The area was then declared a closed military zone, enabling the Palestinians to continue their olive harvest, Israeli media said, quoting an IDF statement.

Dozens more masked rioters arrived shortly afterward but fled before additional security forces reached the area, the IDF told Army Radio. While en route, security forces spotted two suspicious vehicles and fired warning shots; the vehicles then sped toward an illegal settlement outpost nearby. Further investigation revealed that one of the rioters’ vehicles was stolen, the IDF added.

Later in the day, police arrested four minors suspected of throwing stones at a bus in Jerusalem’s Har Homa neighborhood, shattering its rear window.

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