Clashes at Jerusalem home demolition

Nine people were injured and seven arrested in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan on Monday after clashes broke out as Israeli forces demolished several structures, local activists told AFP. "Bulldozers demolished two structures and some parts of a house and they also uprooted trees," activist Fakri Abu Diab said. "Clashes erupted and nine people were injured, including a woman who was shot by a rubber bullet inside her house and taken to Makassed hospital for treatment," he said, adding that seven people were arrested. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri confirmed that clashes erupted at the site, one of the tensest neighbourhoods in Israeli-annexed Arab east Jerusalem, with residents throwing stones at Israeli forces. "Five people were arrested for disturbing the peace, three were later released on bail and two remain in custody," she told AFP. Elsewhere on Monday, residents of Jayyus village in the northern West Bank said a group of Israeli settlers had established an illegal settlement outpost on land belonging to local residents. Local council head Ghassan al-Harami told AFP the land affected was part of a parcel of 2,800 dunams (280 hectares) that had been the subject of litigation after Israel tried to route its separation barrier through it. "In 2002, when they started building the wall they confiscated 2,800 dunams from Jayyus land and they were going to be behind the wall," he said. "The owners went to the high court, which ruled in 2009 to adjust the path of the wall and allow 2,400 dunams to return to the village. On January 17, "the army started adjusting the path slowly, but a couple of days ago, settlers put two caravans on the lands that are supposed to be returned and today they put up a third one and started digging in preparation for water and electricity connections." There was no immediate comment from the Israeli Civil Administration, the defence ministry unit responsible for all planning and construction issues in "Area C" which covers 60 percent of the West Bank.