Israeli soldiers, Jewish extremists clash in West Bank's Hebron

Hundreds of suspected Jewish extremists attempted on Saturday to force their way across a military checkpoint and into a part of the West Bank city of Hebron where they are not allowed.

The attempted breach led to clashes with Israeli soldiers and border police, a military spokesman said. Several of the rioters spat in the faces of Israeli security forces.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz and Palestinian media also reported that some of those involved had thrown stones at the shops and houses of Palestinian residents.

The incident took place during a Jewish pilgrimage in Hebron that attracts thousands of Jews from all over the world ever year.

The military spokesman could not say whether the approximately 500 people involved were Israeli settlers from the West Bank. He said several people were arrested.

Haaretz reported that the rioters wanted to enter an area in the old town that is closed to Israelis on the orders of the Israeli army.

Since 1998, Hebron has been divided into two parts: one part is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, the other by Israel.

Hebron is home to more than 200,000 Palestinian residents, as well as several hundred Jewish settlers.

Because of the presence of the settlers and the soldiers, Palestinians in the city centre have had to give up their shops and homes. The freedom of movement of Palestinians in the area is also severely restricted.