WEST BANK: : Israeli forces scuffle with Palestinian villagers trying to prevent tractors from digging their land to erect a controversial West Bank barrier.
Record ID:
560913
WEST BANK: : Israeli forces scuffle with Palestinian villagers trying to prevent tractors from digging their land to erect a controversial West Bank barrier.
- Title: WEST BANK: : Israeli forces scuffle with Palestinian villagers trying to prevent tractors from digging their land to erect a controversial West Bank barrier.
- Date: 28th February 2007
- Summary: (MER2) NEAR EL-SULMONA VILLAGE, WEST BANK (FEBRUARY 27, 2007) (REUTERS) TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS STANDING BEHIND THE GATE TALKING WITH SOLDIERS VARIOUS PALESTINIANS ARE STANDING BEHIND ISRAELI SOLDIERS WATCHING VARIOUS OF TRACTOR DIGGING GROUND TO CONSTRUCT WEST BANK SEPARATION BARRIER VARIOUS OF TRACTORS DIGGING GROUND TWO ARMED ISRAELI SECURITY PERSONNEL / ONE ON MOBILE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IM MOHAMAD SAYING: "This land, this is what we live off, the olives which we feed our children with, they uprooted them, the vines the grapes which we live off, what can we do? They had heart attacks, all my uncles had heart attacks." PALESTINIAN WOMEN WEEPING AND WATCHING BULLDOZER VARIOUS OF BULLDOZER AT WORK SETTLEMENT ATOP NEARBY WEST BANK HILL (5 SECONDS) MORE OF BULLDOZER VARIOUS SOLDIERS MOVING LOCAL RESIDENTS FROM AREA BULLDOZER DEMOLISHING TRADITIONAL HAND-BUILT STONE WALL BULLDOZER DESTROYING FRUIT TREES VARIOUS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS SCUFFLING WITH SOLDIERS LOCAL RESIDENTS DESTROYING WIRE FENCE SURROUNDING THEIR LAND MORE OF SCUFFLES MAN BEING ARRESTED AND BEATEN BY ISRAELI SOLDIERS AND POLICE MAN BEING TIED UP ARRESTED MAN BEING TAKEN AWAY
- Embargoed: 15th March 2007 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA9PLUN0BZIH7PK1S7FV6VA3X5C
- Story Text: Scuffles erupted between Palestinian villagers and Israeli troops on Tuesday (February 27) as bulldozers uprooted land to construct the controversial West Bank separation barrier. Palestinian residents of the el-Sulmona village in the West Bank gathered to observe as bulldozers began digging the earth to pave the land for a network of razor tipped wires and cement walls, which will soon cut Palestinian residents off from their land in the West Bank.
"This land, this is what we live off, the olives which we feed our children with, they uprooted them, the vines the grapes which we live off, what can we do? They had heart attacks, all my uncles had heart attacks," Im Mohamad owner of land being uprooted said.
Israeli troops guarding the construction site began scuffling with angry residents. Using bats, soldiers prevented villagers from approaching the site. At least one Palestinian was beaten and detained.
Palestinians denounce the construction of the barrier as a land grab that would deny them a viable state on land Israel captured in the 1967 war. Israel says the razor-tipped fences and towering concrete walls are needed to stop suicide bombers from infiltrating its cities.
The International Court of Justice, in a non-binding decision from 2004, ruled the construction of the barrier on the occupied land illegal.
Israel has so far built about half of a planned 670 km-long (400 mile) barrier in the West Bank since 2002. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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