Palestinian said shot, badly hurt in clash with Israeli troops

A young Palestinian was shot by Israeli troops and seriously injured during clashes north of Ramallah, Palestinian media reported.

The military did not immediately comment on the matter. The cause of the clashes was not immediately clear.

Media reports said the man had been shot in the head with live fire in the village of Nabi Saleh. He was taken to a Ramallah hospital.

Tensions have been rising in Jerusalem and the West Bank ahead of a planned right-wing nationalist march to be held in Jerusalem later this week, with security officials concerned it could fuel a broader Israeli-Palestinian conflagration over the city.

The Flag March, a controversial annual parade, was rescheduled for Thursday after it was canceled mid-event on May 10, Jerusalem Day, when Hamas fired rockets toward the city, setting off 11 days of fighting between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Several former top police commanders have urged police not to allow the event to go forward.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Saturday said he will demand the parade through the Old City be called off if it “requires extraordinary security measures and endangers public order and diplomatic processes.”

Police have not yet said whether they will okay the event, or possibly demand that its route be changed to prevent it from passing through particularly sensitive areas such as the Old City’s Damascus Gate and Muslim Quarter.