Israeli Army attacks anti-Wall protest near Bethlehem, injures two children

Friday March 28, 2008 22:48 by Saed Bannoura, Manar Jibrin - IMEMC News

On Friday morning, 150 Palestinian residents of al Ma'sarah village near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, joined by around thirty International and Israeli peace activists, gathered in the yard of a local school and then marched to an area of the village land that is set to be confiscated by the Israeli military for the construction of the Wall.

The military plans to confiscate the land both for the construction of the annexation Wall and for the expansion of the nearby illegal settlement of Efrat that is built on Palestinian privately-owned lands.  The Israeli government recently approved the construction of 54 new housing units in the settlement.

The Israeli forces blocked the main road that leads to the village, and prevented the vehicles of the Israeli and International peace activists from reaching the village.

Israeli soldiers then deployed near the village's lands and installed barbed wires to prevent the protestors from reaching the site.  A group of children attempted to reach the site by going up the hills, but were fired up on by the Israeli soldiers.  Two nine-year olds were injured – they were identified as Bara' Zawahreh and "Ubadah Brejiyah.

The theme of this march was the commemoration of the 32nd anniversary of Palestinian Land Day, in addition to challenging the Israeli confiscation of village lands and in protest the Israeli acts of land confiscation for the construction of the Wall and the expansion of the nearby settlement of Efrat.

bethlehem | the wall | news report manarjibrin at gmail dot com