Israeli army arrests activists in West Bank

11/08/2011| IslamWeb

Israeli army troops have arrested 11 people after clashes erupted during a demonstration in Walaja, a village in the West Bank.

Those arrested included Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who were protesting against the construction of Israel's separation barrier.

"Some 80 Palestinian and Israeli activists hurled stones at Israeli forces who dispersed them with riot control gear. Eleven were arrested and the crowd dispersed," an Israel army spokeswoman said.

The "Grassroots Jerusalem" group who organized the demonstration said in a press release that Israel was uprooting dozens of trees in the West Bank village in preparatory work for the construction of the barrier, which the International Court of Justice in The Hague has deemed illegal.

The separation barrier loops around Israeli settlements and Palestinians say it is a land grab that will cut them off from the agricultural fields they use to make a living.

Israel began building the barrier in 2002 and it is planned to extend for about 790km.

PHOTO CAPTION

Israeli soldiers shield themselves during a protest against the construction of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Walajeh, outside Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011.

Al-Jazeera