Jordanian security forces used tear gas to repel a group of pro-Palestinian protesters who were heading towards the border with the West Bank amid a flare-up between Israel and Gaza, a report says.
Witnesses told Reuters that Jordanian police fired tear gas and shot into the air as they dispersed a group of about 500 young people, who broke away from a scheduled route designed to allow protesters to express solidarity with the Palestinians along the border.
According to Reuters, the protesters were 5km (3 miles) away from a border bridge opposite the city of Jericho in the West Bank.
Jordan’s Public Security Directorate (PSD) told the country’s media that security forces were confronting protesters, who had entered farms in Jordan’s southern Shouneh region and trespassed on “private property.” PSD requested the protesters to behave in an orderly manner.
Jordanian Roya TV channel showed a video of riot police officers forming a line to stop people from walking toward the border. Thousands came to the border with the West Bank on Friday, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting chants in support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas that has been firing rockets from Gaza at Israeli cities.
Numerous unverified reports on social media suggested that some Jordanians managed to cross into the West Bank, but that has not been confirmed. Videos shared on Twitter presumably show protesters walking on farmland and going past what appear to be tear gas canisters lying on the ground.
Israeli media reported that the Jordanians breached a police fence on their way to the border.
Also on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee said that Israeli tanks fired warning shots towards a group of protesters that crossed into Israel from Lebanon. The protesters returned to Lebanon after tampering with the border fence and setting fires in the area. The IDF earlier reported that three rockets were launched from the Lebanese territory and fell into the Mediterranean Sea.
Escalation between Israel and Palestine heated up on Monday, turning into street clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as non-stop exchange of missiles.
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