Key facts
- Palestinians protested Israeli settlement expansion plans in the Jabal Tarusa area of the occupied West Bank.
- Protesters expressed concerns that the expansion would further isolate Palestinian communities.
- Israeli forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the demonstration.
- The settlement project's foundation stone was laid by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday.
Palestinians gathered in the Jabal Tarusa area of the occupied West Bank on Friday to protest Israeli plans to expand settlements near the city of Dura. Demonstrators held congregational Friday prayers at the site and voiced opposition to the project, which they stated threatens to further isolate Palestinian communities from one another. Aeyed Al-Atabi, a resident of Dura, stated, "We came... To protest these racist practices," expressing concern that the development would cut the area off from nearby Palestinian villages. Israeli forces reportedly used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protest. Israeli authorities announced plans for the settlement project in January, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich laid its foundation stone on Tuesday.