WEST BANK: Israeli soldiers scuffle with pro-Palestinian activists who try to breach a West Bank checkpoint

Record ID: 560511

  • Title: WEST BANK: Israeli soldiers scuffle with pro-Palestinian activists who try to breach a West Bank checkpoint
  • Date: 27th December 2010
  • Summary: QALANDIYA CHECKPOINT, WEST BANK (DECEMBER 26, 2010) (REUTERS) INTERNATIONAL PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATORS PUSHING AGAINST BARRIER AT CHECKPOINT, HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAGS MORE OF PROTESTERS PUSHING THE GATE, ISRAELI SECURITY PUSHING THEM BACK ISRAELI SOLDIERS PUSHING DEMONSTRATORS BACK OUT THROUGH THE GATE, SCUFFLES BEHIND THE GATE ISRAELI SOLDIERS PULLING UP DEMONSTRATORS SITTING ON GROUND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GATE DEMONSTRATORS SHOUTING 'ISRAEL! CRIMINAL! AND GUARD STANDING AT THE TOP OF THE GATE AND WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLAUDETTE, FRENCH DEMONSTRATOR, SAYING: "We are a group of eighty people from all over France, demonstrating today to emphasise the problem of the Palestinian people. We wanted to pass this checkpoint and as you could see this was quite violent, they took people and several wounded people." DEMONSTRATORS WITH PALESTINIAN FLAGS SITTING UNDER CHECKPOINT GATE, CHANTING 'Israel! Criminal' (French) PALESTINIAN FLAG LAID ON BARBED WIRE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NADINE, DEMONSTRATOR FROM LUXEMBOURG, SAYING: "We are here because we believe in peace and we believe in bringing borders down. The history of my own country is a history of war and suffering and we have managed to make peace with our neighbours and to live in a world today where we don't know the boundaries." SPANISH DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING 'Illegal Occupation' (Spanish) ISRAELI SOLDIERS PUSHING DEMONSTRATORS AWAY
  • Embargoed: 11th January 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank, West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA8R3OL8OCN4PPBPK5JD48NVI0S
  • Story Text: International demonstrators pushed against a checkpoint barrier in the West Bank on Sunday (December 26) to protest against Israel's restrictions on Palestinian movements.
    Israel ordered soldiers to ease the passage of Christian tourists and pilgrims through military checkpoints during the Christmas period.
    About 500 Palestinians were able to travel from Gaza to Bethlehem for Christmas mass.
    Another 200 permits were given to Christians entering Israel from Arab countries to visit family.
    But they needed special permits to make their religious pilgrimage to the town Christians believe Jesus was born and only those over 35 years old and with a clean security record were allowed in.
    Qualandiya is on the road between the West Bank town of Ramallah and Jerusalem and is part of a network of hundreds of checkpoints, together with a long barrier of concrete and fences spanning some 600 kilometres (370 miles), designed to stop attacks on Israel.
    The demonstrators who came from France, Spain, Luxembourg and other countries, say the restrictions are inhumane because they affect ordinary Palestinians who feel under siege and limit trade and imports of essential goods.
    Israel says the barrier has drastically reduced the number of attacks carried out by Palestinian militants on Israeli civilians.
    "We are a group of eighty people from all over France, demonstrating today to emphasise the problem of the Palestinian people. We wanted to pass this checkpoint and as you could see this was quite violent, they took people and several wounded people," said Claudette, a French activist.
    "We are here because we believe in peace and we believe in bringing borders down. The history of my own country is a history of war and suffering and we have managed to make peace with our neighbours and to live in a world today where we don't know the boundaries," said Nadine, a demonstrator from Luxembourg.
    A Israeli military spokesperson reported that approximately 90 demonstrators who gathered near the checkpoint tried to force their way through it and hurled rocks towards security forces. Nine demonstrators were arrested.
    The 600 kilometre (370 mile) barrier, more than half of which is completed, was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in a non-binding ruling in 2004, but Israel persists with its efforts to complete it nevertheless.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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