Palestinian protests rail against controls

JERUSALEM - Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and Gaza at the weekend to protest over the continuing blockade of much of the West Bank.

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip on Saturday and wounded at least 12 others as clashes erupted throughout the Palestinian territories, medical sources said.

The violence came just as the Israeli Government announced new steps to relay the clampdown.

They said Mohammed Abu Awn, aged 20, was shot in the chest while sitting near protesters hurling stones at Israeli troops guarding the road leading to the Jewish settlement of Netzarim.

Earlier, Palestinian sources said Israeli troops had shot and wounded three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in an area where there were no clashes.

At least 347 Palestinians, 65 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have been killed in nearly six months of a Palestinian uprising that erupted in late September after peace talks deadlocked.

The violence erupted during protests on Friday against Israel's blockade of Palestinian territories, just as the Jewish state announced new steps to relax the clampdown.

Near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets and teargas at several hundred protesters throwing stones as they headed towards an Army roadblock to protest at Israel's encirclement of the city.

- REUTERS

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