Groups call for demonstrators to step up protests against Israel in West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza; Islamic Jihad says time has come for "popular revolution."
By JPOST.COM STAFFA masked Palestinian protester stands near burning tires during clashes with police in Isawiya.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians seemed to be adhering to leadership calls to hold a so-called 'Day of Rage' against Israel on Friday, as hundreds of West Bank residents staged protests and clashed with Israeli security forces.Violence erupted at the flashpoint Kalandia checkpoint, located between Jerusalem and Ramallah, as some 400 Palestinians threw stones and firebombs at IDF troops.The army opened fire at the crowd in response, a spokeswoman said, but did not confirm a hit.In the Shuafat refugee camp, a funeral was held for 38-year-old Ibrahim al-Aqari, the east Jerusalem resident who killed two people and injured a dozen more in a terrorist attack that rattled Jerusalem this week.Bright-green Hamas flags were carried through the terrorist's impoverished hometown, as residents threw stones and Molotov cocktails at security forces following the ceremony.Torching tires and trash cans, they chanted anti-Israel slogans, prompting Border Police officers to spray tear gas and quell the rising tensions.Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad called on Palestinians to take to the streets of Jerusalem and the West Bank to demonstrate against Israel's policies at the Aksa Mosque.Near Ramallah, in the Benjamin region of the central West Bank, Palestinians threw stones at security personnel, while demonstrations were held in other areas to the south, near Hebron.
