Israeli soldier tries to arrest Palestinian boy

An armed Israeli soldier attempts to to arrest an 11-year-old Palestinian boy with his arm in a cast on Friday, August 28, during a protest against settlement construction in the village of Nabi Saleh in the West Bank.

Bassem Tamimi, the boy's father, told CNN that he was present at the time. "This is very difficult for any father or mother to see their son or daughter in that way, being violently attacked," said Tamimi.

Women and children pull on the soldier's back, trying to free the boy.

Tamimi, the boy's father, told CNN that his wife and daughter were trying to free his son and clashed with the soldier.

The soldier struggles with the crowd during the attempted arrest.

The Israeli army defended its actions, saying that people in the crowd had thrown rocks at the soldiers. "The forces decided to detain one of the Palestinians identified hurling rocks," an Israeli army spokeswoman told CNN. The army said the commander at the scene halted the arrest to avoid an escalation of the situation.

Some residents of Nabi Saleh have been staging protests for years against Israel's settlement policy. Sometimes the protests turn violent, with Palestinian youths throwing stones and Israeli soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets.