Dozens of protesters on July 12 were lightly wounded in demonstrations across the occupied West Bank. In al-Maasara village south of Bethlehem, dozens suffered tear-gas inhalation as Israeli forces dispersed a protest against water shortages in the village for over 50 days and in solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails. Protesters raised Palestinian flags and posters of prisoners, and chanted for national unity and against the wall and confiscation of land. In Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and sprayed demonstrators with skunk water as protesters retreated during the weekly Friday demonstration.
The Nabi Saleh protest began with around 60 demonstrators marching down from the top of the mount, toward the natural spring that was illegally annexed by Israeli settlers in 2009. Demonstrators silently stood on the slope of the mount facing a line of Israeli soldiers guarding the spring. The standoff lasted for around an hour before demonstrators began to retreat back up the mount. As demonstrators retreated Israelis soldiers fired tear gas and sprayed skunk water at close range. Demonstrators suffered from light injuries due to tear-gas inhalation. No arrests were made.
A handful of weekly Friday demonstrations were canceled in observance of the first Friday of Ramadan.
From Ma'an News Agency [5], July 13
