Tensions in West Bank increase

Published on 10/09/2012 20:16

Days of Palestinian demonstrations against the high cost of living turned violent in the West Bank yesterday, as protesters smashed windows and attempted to storm a municipality building before clashing with police.

In Hebron, police beat some demonstrators and hurled tear gas to disperse the crowd. The violence calmed down after about an hour, and there were no reports of injuries.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, demonstrators halted traffic with burning tyres, schools were closed and shopkeepers closed their stores. A growing number of people have taken to the streets in anger over rising prices and the government’s inability to pay full salaries to tens of thousands of civil servants.

The rallies are the largest show of popular discontent with the governing Palestinian Authority in its 18-year history.