Arafat demonstrating turns violent

Hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli cars and burned tyres today as demonstrators in the West Bank vented their outrage over the death of Yasser Arafat.

Israeli troops used rubber-coated metal bullets and fired tear gas to break up the rally of about 400 people at Beit Umar, a village near the West Bank town of Hebron, the army said.

Two border patrol officers were lightly wounded and seven Israeli cars were damaged, the army said. The violence also forced the army to close the road for about 90 minutes.

In Bethlehem, dozens of Palestinians heaved boulders and rocks at Israeli troops and tossed an explosive device at soldiers. Troops used rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The second demonstration occurred near Rachel’s Tomb, the traditional burial place of the biblical matriarch in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

Rocks were also thrown at Israeli cars on a road that links Jerusalem and the West Bank.