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Israelis, Palestinians clash in West Bank

By Michael Schwartz, Kareem Khadder and Guy Azriel, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Israeli settlers and Palestinians clashed Monday in the West Bank village of Burin
  • Border police had to defuse the situation
  • The incident happened after Israeli authorities demolished illegal settlement structures
  • Each side accuses the other of casting the first stone

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Just a few hours after Israeli authorities demolished two illegal structures built by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, border police had to break up a battle between settlers and Palestinians in the nearby village of Burin, authorities said.

Four of the settlers were wounded, one seriously, and three Palestinians reported minor wounds, said Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

Burin resident Ali Eid told CNN he witnessed almost 100 settlers, some armed with weapons and stones, entering the village around 7:30 a.m. Monday (12:30 a.m. ET), then firing their guns in the air and throwing stones.

Ali Eid said the settlers "raided the village" to prevent Palestinian resident Ibrahim Eid from building a house there and "seriously injured him in the head."

"The group of Israeli settlers threw stones and broke the windows of other residents in the village, frightened and terrorized the Palestinian residents of the village," Ali Eid said.

Yossi Dagan of the Shomron Regional Council dismissed Ali Eid's claims and said the clashes began when Palestinians started throwing rocks at the settlers during the house demolitions. Rosenfeld said when the settlers entered Burin, Palestinians threw stones and building blocks at them, then the Israelis threw stones back at the Palestinians.

Burin is situated in the West Bank, south of Nablus and next to the Jewish settlements of Yizhar and Bracha.