Israelis and Palestinians rally in West Bank for peace

Some 250 Israelis and Palestinians marched together in the West Bank on Friday afternoon in a protest against “occupation, terror and violence.”

The demonstrators marched from the entrance to the Palestinian village of Batir along a main West Bank road to a checkpoint at the entrance to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc.

The protest was organized by two Israeli left-wing NGOs, Combatants for Peace and Standing Together, the Ynet news website reported.

The violence began some two moths ago, and has escalated into near-daily Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces. So far, more than 20 Israelis have been killed and many others wounded in stabbing, shooting and vehicular attacks by Palestinians.

The march took place hours after eight soldiers were wounded in two separate car-ramming terror attacks in the West Bank.

Two soldiers were hurt early Friday morning north of Ma’ale Adumim when the driver of a Palestinian-registered car plowed into the soldiers as they waited for a bus. Hours later, six soldiers were wounded in an attack at the entrance to the southern West Bank village of Beit Ummar.

Last month, some 1,500 Israeli Jews and Arabs gathered in Jerusalem, calling for an end to the violence and a resumption of peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The rally began with a demonstration at Gan Hasus (Horse Park) in Jerusalem, and continued with a march through the center of the city. Some 150 Arab and Jewish activists also gathered in Beersheba on the same day, where they formed a human chain in support of peace.