Palestinian students protest Israeli law amid clashes

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH (AA) - Clashes broke out on Tuesday between Palestinian students and Israeli forces in Israel-occupied West Bank, according to local residents.

Israeli soldiers fired rubber bullets, stun bombs and tear gas canisters to disperse a rally staged by Birzeit University students at the Beit El checkpoint north of Ramallah.

Angry students hurled stones and empty cans and set tyres ablaze, local residents said.

No injuries were reported.

Tuesday’s rally was staged in support of the Al-Khan Al-Ahmar Bedouin hamlet, which is at the risk of demolition by Israeli authorities, and an Israeli law recognizing Israel as the “nation-state of the Jewish people”.

The legislation defines Israel as a Jewish state with a “united Jerusalem” as its capital. It has also promoted Hebrew as the only official language, stripping Arabic as an official language while recognizing its “special status”.

The controversial law risks further alienating the Arab minority who argue they already face discrimination from Israeli Jews and the government and already feel as though they are second-class citizens.