Two Palestinian children were injured during peaceful protests organized in two villages, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem on Friday.
Around 150 villagers from Al Ma'sara village along with international and Israeli peace activists held a protest against the illegal Israeli wall planned for farmers' lands there.
As soon as the march arrived at the settler road that separates the village from its lands, Israeli troops attacked the protesters with tear gas and batons, two children were mildly injured.
Witnesses told IMEMC that soldiers chased the protesters tinto the village, but reported no kidnappings.
The protest is part of the 'Summer Against Apartheid' – a Palestinian grassroots campaign, supported by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the International Women's Peace Service (IWPS) – that will be running throughout the Summer.
Mahmoud Zawahra, a local activist said that the villagers demanded that Israeli authorities allow water into their village, he told IMEMC that Al Ma'sara village has natural water wells but because Israel pipes this water to nearby settlements the village has been without water for 20 days.
In the nearby village of Al Khader at least 250 villagers, along with Israeli and international peace activists protested against the Israeli wall and settlements constructed on villagers land.
The protest started with midday prayers held on the settler road near the village, then marched towards the nearby road block. The protest was called under the slogan of "Enough, 41 years of Israel-Racist occupation! – Justice and Freedom to Palestine; End the Israeli Occupation". Speeches were delivered by local organizers after prayers finished; the protesters went home after an hour and half.
On June 5th 1967 Israel,occupied the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem city and the rest of the West Bank. For 41 years Palestinians always marked this day with protests against the ongoing Israeli occupation of their land.
