Israeli troops firing rubber bullets wounded 30 Palestinians yesterday as hundreds of demonstrators hurled rocks and bottles in a protest after a soldier killed a Palestinian in Bethlehem.
It was the second day of violence in the West Bank town.
The troops used tear gas and the rubber-coated bullets to disperse the protesters, who hurled stones and empty bottles at them from streets and rooftops.
Two Palestinians were seriously injured. An Israeli soldier and a civilian were hurt when they were struck by stones.
In widespread rioting Monday, 15 Palestinians and two Israelis were injured.
The clashes were sparked by the death of Mousa Abu Hilail, who had been selling postcards and souvenirs near Rachel’s Tomb, a site revered by Jews as the burial place of the biblical matriarch.
The Israeli soldier who fired the fatal shots said the Palestinian vendor attacked him with a knife, but Palestinian officials said he was shot in cold blood.
Palestinian merchants closed their shops yesterday, and hundreds of Palestinians marched to Rachel’s Tomb.
In addition to throwing rocks and bottles, the protesters, some masked, fired slingshots at Israeli soldiers guarding the site.
Palestinian police were on the scene, but did not intervene.
One of the protesters said he was angry about Monday’s shooting as well as restrictions on Palestinian movement in and out of Bethlehem.
“We are protesting to let the world know that we are still under occupation and there is no peace,” said Khaled Azza, a 19-year-old student at Bethlehem University.
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook canceled a visit to Bethlehem yesterday because of the violence.
There has been concern in Bethlehem, where the Bible says Jesus was born, that ongoing violence could hurt the millennium tourist season. Bethlehem has been preparing for millions of visitors, starting around Christmas.