Anniversary of barrier protests marked

HUNDREDS of Palestinians, Israelis and foreign activists – engulfed by clouds of tear gas fired by Israeli troops – demonstrated to mark the fifth anniversary of weekly protests against Israel’s West Bank separation barrier.

In five years of weekly protests, the village of Bilin has become a symbol of the Palestinians’ struggle against the encroachment of the barrier on land they claim for their state.

On Friday, a crowd of hundreds marched from the village centre toward the barrier in a valley below.