Israeli soldiers detained 6 Israeli and international peace activists, and one Palestinian, in the village of Bel’in, west of the West Bank city of Ramallah, during a procession against the Separation Wall.
The protestors headed towards a construction site where Israeli bulldozers were uprooting fields and constructing sections of the Wall.
The villagers built a cage on the route of the Separation Wall to protest its construction on Palestinian farmlands and orchards, according to IMEMC’s correspondent in Bel’in.
Three Israelis, three internationals and three Palestinian women locked themselves in the cage, along with a goat, in a move intended to symbolize the fact that Bel’in is becoming a big prison, especially after the Wall is completed.
The Army detained three Israelis, three internationals and one Palestinian.The three Palestinian women were forced out of the cage, but were not arrested.
The detained residents and activists were released on conditions: Palestinian detainees had to pay 2000NIS bail, which will be lost of they do not report for interrogation and hearings later on.
International and Israeli activists had to sign a paper stating that they should remain at least 100 meters away from the area where the Wall is being constructed for a period of 15 days.
After Israeli soldiers fired concussion grenades and gas bombs at the protestors, dozens of youth responded by throwing stones at the soldiers. One resident was injured of military fire.
