Israel evicts protesters from Ein Hijleh, West Bank

EIN HIJLEH, West Bank, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Hundreds of Israeli soldiers stormed an abandoned West Bank city and evicted protesters camped there, military authorities announced Friday.

Using tear gas and stun guns, the soldiers removed several dozen Palestinian, Israeli and other activists who last week re-occupied the village of Ein Hijleh, near Jericho, which has been empty since Israel captured the land from Jordan in 1967, NBC News reported.

Several people were injured after being beaten with nightsticks and the butts of guns, Palestinian activist and politician Mustapha Barghouti said.

The final status of the area is a point of tension in peace talks between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, the BBC reported Friday, adding the raid took place as aid agencies expressed concern at a rise in Israeli demolition of Palestinian property and buildings in the surrounding area.

The activists moved into Ein Hijleh to demonstrate opposition to Israel's occupation of the land, and had begun planting trees and repairing buildings when the raid occurred, the BBC said.