JERUSALEM, February 19, 2011 (WAFA) – The East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan witnessed violent confrontations Friday night between its residents and Israeli police.

 Palestinians threw stones and empty bottles at the police, and burnt tires in the streets to hold up the movement of police vehicles.

 Witnesses told WAFA that police arrested several children and fired dozens of sonic bombs and tear gas, causing multiple cases of suffocation, including an entire family of 15. One family member was hit in the chest by tear gas and a three month old baby suffered severe suffocation from inhaled gas.

Meanwhile, residents of the Bab Hutta area in the Old city of Jerusalem clashed with police forces, who shot tear gas as Palestinian youth threw stones at them. Undercover Israeli police arrested three youths.

Similar clashes occurred in the southern West Bank city of Hebron where a mob of settlers stormed the city and the nearby village of Yatta. The mob threw stones severely hurting one Palestinian in the Sahla area in the center of the old city of Hebron, threatening residents with more violence if they do not leave the sections of the city that are still under Israeli control, according to witnesses.

A resident of Um Al Khair village, near the settlement of Karmiel in the Hebron area, told WAFA that the settlers have systematically attacked the village and harassed its residents.

All Israeli settlements and the settlers who inhabit them are in direct violation of international law, the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the Geneva Conventions.

M.N./F.J.