Scuffles have broken out between Israeli forces and Palestinians protesting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s visit to the southern city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians and foreign activists held a rally on Monday at a chTheeckpoint dividing the city’s sectors.
Rivlin was in Hebron to inaugurate a museum at an Israeli settlement.
“Rivlin is not welcome in Hebron,” read a placard held by the protesters.
Israeli troops injured one of the protesters while using teargas and rubber bullets to disperse them.
The Israeli president also visited the settlement of Kiryat Arba, adjoining the city, and the holy Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs), which angered Palestinians.
Rivlin’s visit, which took place under tight security, is believed to be an electoral publicity stunt for the right-wing Likud Party, to which he belongs.
The UN and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in the 1967 war and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on the occupied lands.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli authorities have razed to the ground as many as 42 Palestinian-owned structures in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Jericho, and al-Khalil since January 20.
