Israeli forces gather behind a pile of earth and a Palestinian flag left by protesters during clashes in the village of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. (Photo: AFP)

Ramallah, February 21 (RHC)-- Israeli forces have fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse weekly anti-settlement protests in several areas across the occupied West Bank, leaving dozens of people injured.  Zionist troops violently attacked hundreds of Palestinians participating in a peaceful rally in the village of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus City, on Friday, according to the Palestinian Quds News Network.

At least one Palestinian was also injured during a weekly protest in the village of Kafr Qaddum, near the city of Qalqilia, in the occupied West Bank.  “Despite bad rainy weather, clashes broke out today between #Palestinian protesters and Israeli occupation forces in the village of Kafr Qaddum in the occupied West Bank, today,” the news network said in a tweet.

A new report says Israeli regime has demolished at least 178 buildings in the West Bank since the beginning of this year, leaving hundreds of Palestinians homeless.  The West Bank has long been a scene of weekly peaceful protests against the Israel regime’s settlement expansion policy.

According to a recent report by the anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now, Israel has advanced plans for the construction of 780 new illegal settler units in the occupied West Bank.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.   All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they are built on occupied land.