Hundreds mark 5th anniversary of barrier protests

BILIN, West Bank — Hundreds of Palestinians, Israelis and foreign activists — engulfed by clouds of tear gas fired by Israeli troops — demonstrated Friday to mark the fifth anniversary of weekly protests against Israel's West Bank separation barrier.

Friday's demonstrations in the West Bank village of Bilin were also a sort of victory celebration for the protesters: Israel's military began to reroute a barrier segment last week to restore some of the land taken from the village.

In five years of weekly protests, Bilin has become a symbol of the Palestinians' struggle against the encroachment of the barrier on land they claim for their state. The protests have since spread to several other villages.

On Friday, a crowd of hundreds, including Palestinian women in headscarves, young Westerners with backpacks, the mayor of Geneva and a troupe of clowns dressed in Israeli army fatigues, marched from the village center toward the barrier in a valley below.

A few dozen Palestinian teens at the front of the march began tearing at the fence, climbed over it and rushed to the other side. Others threw stones.

In response, Israeli troops fired a barrage of tear gas and rubber-coated steel pellets, while a water cannon aimed foul-smelling liquid at the crowd. Coughing and pressing tissues against their faces, many protesters headed back toward the village. Two people were injured, one by a tear gas canister and the other by a rubber bullet, participants said.

Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, an Israeli army spokeswoman, said troops initially stood back Friday, but had to disperse the crowd when protesters began damaging the fence.

Israel says the protests are violent riots, citing the stone throwing and injuries suffered by dozens of troops over the years.

Palestinians allege that Israeli troops often use excessive force, dispersing protesters with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel pellets. Six protesters have been killed and dozens injured in clashes with Israeli forces in barrier protests in Bilin and elsewhere.

The Palestinians say they're engaging in civil disobedience, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad praised the Bilin method of persistent civil disobedience.