Israeli troops shot and wounded 22 Palestinians in a sweep of more than a dozen West Bank villages, Arab hospital officials said. A general strike against school closures paralyzed the occupied lands.
The army said 11 Palestinians were wounded in violence Monday, and troops imposed or extended curfews on eight refugee camps and areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, confining more than 150,000 Palestinians to their homes.Dozens of Jewish settlers wearing white prayer shawls and carrying machine guns danced and sang in the deserted streets of Hebron in the West Bank to mark the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah. Israel television showed dozens of soldiers on foot and in jeeps guarding the procession.
Hebron has been under curfew since Friday, when a Palestinian merchant was shot and killed during a clash between settlers and stone-throwing Palestinians.