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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority rejected on Monday a request by Israel to bolster troop presence in a flashpoint Bethlehem village in Area C, the city's governor said.

Abed al-Fatah Hamayal said Israel wanted to increase its army's presence in the Umm Rukba area of the al-Khader village after clashes erupted between residents and soldiers over the past week, leaving dozens injured.

The governor said Israel has barred the PA from exercising security control over Umm Rukba because it is located near a bypass road used by Israeli settlers to access the nearby Efrat settlement.

The PA is prepared to take control over Area C "fully and permanently," Hamayel added.

Over 60 percent of the West Bank is considered Area C, where Israel retains extensive control over security, planning and zoning, according to the UN. Approximately 300,000 settlers currently live in Area C.

Meanwhile, Popular Committee Against Settlements and the Wall coordinator in the village Ahmad Salah said 20 homes in Umm Rukba were threatened with demolition to make way for Israel's construction of the wall.

Salah said if the PA were to take over security control, it would require Israeli citizens to receive prior coordination to enter the area.

Protests have been ongoing for a month in the Umm Rukba area in the village in solidarity with hunger strikers in Israeli jails.