Israeli Forces Injure 4, Detain 2 Palestinians During March Commemorating Arafat

Israeli forces injured four Palestinian students and detained two others, during the clashes that erupted after a march commemorating the 12th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Ma'an news agency, the clashes between the Palestinian students and Israeli police started when the demonstrators headed to the Ofer detention center in the occupied West Bank district of Ramallah to support child prisoners.

The Israeli police reportedly fired rubber-coated steel bullets, while the Palestinians were throwing rocks at Israeli forces.

On Thursday, thousands of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah to commemorate Arafat. Palestinian leader Mahmood Abbas hailed Arafat, saying he was still alive in people’s hearts and that all Palestinians were "inspired with more persistence and determination because of him."

Arafat, one of the most prominent figures of the Palestinian independence movement, died in a military hospital in France. In 2012, his widow called for an additional inquiry into the former leader’s death after an investigation by Al Jazeera earlier had found "significant" traces of radioactive isotope polonium-210 on some of Arafat’s personal items.