Israeli soldiers disperse Ramallah rally with rubber bullets,teargas

Clashes erupted on Friday between Palestinian youths and Israeli army forces in the west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, eyewitnesses said. Israeli soldiers used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse Palestinian demonstrators who gathered outside Ofer Prison to protest recent violations of Islamic holy sites by extremist Jewish settlers and the mistreatment of Palestinian detainees by Israeli authorities. Several Palestinian demonstrators suffered teargas inhalation and one was arrested during the clashes, eyewitnesses said. Palestinian groups called for rallies following weekly Friday prayers to denounce recent Israeli violations of the Aqsa Mosque, considered a holy site by both Muslims and Jews. In recent weeks, groups of extremist Jewish settlers, often accompanied by Israeli security forces, have entered the Aqsa Mosque complex on an almost daily basis. The frequent violations distress Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations. Jews refer to Al-Aqsa as the "Temple Mount," claiming the area was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.