Dozens of Muslim youths rioted and hurled rocks at security forces in the city of Hevron Thursday,
in the fourth consecutive day of rioting there since the government decided to include the Cave of Machpelah and Rachel’s Tomb in its list of national heritage sites that the state intends to invest in.
The soldiers are using riot control gear to maintain order. There are no reports of casualties.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday that the administration viewed the inclusion of the two Judean sites in the heritage list as "provocative" and "unhelpful" to the goal of getting Israel and the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table.
Toner said US diplomats had conveyed American displeasure with the decision to senior Israeli officials.