Confrontations erupt as settlers, guarded by military, break into Nablus

Confrontations erupted at late predawn Thursday after a couple of buses carrying Israeli settlers, guarded by a military escort, made their way into the city of Nablus in northern West Bank to perform religious prayers at a historical site.

Witnesses said a number of Israeli army vehicles approached, cordoned off the area and shut several roads before a convoy of buses carrying settlers arrived around dawn and was destined for Joseph’s Tomb, a funerary monument which is close to the densely populated Balata refugee camp in the city.

The provocative visit by settlers, one in a series of similar monthly visits, provoked confrontations with local Palestinians, during which the army fired teargas canisters and stun grenades, causing multiple cases of suffocation.