Israeli settlers march in West Bank amid wave of unrest

By NASSER NASSER and ILAN BEN ZION
Associated Press

BURQA, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of Israelis marched to a dismantled settlement deep in the occupied West Bank and called for it to be rebuilt. The show of strength on Tuesday came amid a wave of Israeli-Palestinian unrest and fears of further escalation. The army blocked roads to facilitate the march led by hard-line Jewish settlers and prevent Palestinians from reaching the area. Dozens of Palestinian residents protested the closures. Clashes broke out in which medics say at least eight Palestinians were struck by rubber bullets or tear gas cannisters. Israelis have repeatedly returned to Homesh, a hilltop settlement that emerged as a symbol of settler defiance after the government dismantled it in 2005.