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Palestinian demonstrators looking through a segment of the West Bank separation barrier in Na'alin, moments after knocking it down Friday.
 (Shahaf Polkov / Activestills.org)
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Last update - 18:45 06/11/2009
WATCH: Protesters breach West Bank separation barrier
By Reuters
Tags: Na'alin protest 

The weekly demonstrations against the West Bank separation barrier in the towns of Bil'in and Na'alin, which take place every Friday, reached new heights this week when activists, seeking to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall, knocked a part of the barrier over.



Masked Palestinian youths breached the 8-meter high section of Israel's security wall that runs through Na'alin, while Israeli border guards fired tear gas and a foul-smelling spray from behind the high concrete barrier.

Protesters levered open a space under one the pre-cast panels and used a hydraulic car-jack to topple it out of position.

"No matter how tall, all walls fall," read one banner pasted onto the structure by Palestinian youths assisted by Israeli activists, who say the wall on Palestinian land and through Palestinian communities is simply a land grab by Israel.

The panel, cast in the same inverted T-shape as those erected by communist East German through Berlin in 1961, was tilted back close to tipping point onto the Israeli side, but did not fall completely.

The youths scattered when the Israeli guards behind the wall rushed to close the breach.

Thick black smoke from a stack of tires set alight by the youths mingled with white trails of tear gas against the blue sky. Clouds of Israeli "skunk" spray - smelling of corpses and feces - drenched the protesters' side of the skirmish.

Israel began building its barrier of fences and walls at the height of the Palestinian uprising that began in 2000, and it now runs along most of the West Bank border, encroaching at many points onto West Bank territory.

It says it was built to prevent suicide bombers entering Israel and has largely succeeded in doing so.

In a non-binding decision in 2004, the International Court of Justice said the barrier was illegal and should be taken down because it crossed occupied territory.

Israeli leaders say the barrier is a temporary obstacle that could be removed once a peace agreement with the Palestinians is signed.
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  1.   They are upset by the wall... 17:49  |  isareli 06/11/09
  2.   The barrier is a temporary obstacle ..ha ha ha 17:58  |  Cynic #2 06/11/09
  3.   Berlin...West Bank...different kinds of walls 18:05  |  Akiva 06/11/09
  4.   Only A Matter of Time 18:10  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/11/09
  5.   The wall will fall 18:11  |  Sani Meo 06/11/09
  6.   It is not difficult to identify with the sense of elation... 18:18  |  Esther 06/11/09
  7.   Akiva - Er it`s keeping people out by keeping them IN 18:26  |  CJ 06/11/09
  8.   Walls 18:31  |  Edifice 06/11/09
  9.   Protester 18:34  |  Marc 06/11/09
  10.   Justice will prevail 18:39  |  Yehuda 06/11/09
  11.   Good engineering test. 18:40  |  Jasper 06/11/09
  12.   The wall must be expanded 18:43  |  maurice 06/11/09
  13.   # 3 akiva 18:54  |  Axel 06/11/09
  14.   These palestinians are playing with their own lives 18:55  |  Joey 06/11/09
  15.   Jihad made wall, Jihad killed US soldiers in Texas. Stop Jihad 18:55  |  GZLives 06/11/09
  16.   To answer Esther`s question 19:05  |  SDHD 06/11/09
  17.   Hey CJ from Australia 19:10  |  bronxite10 06/11/09
  18.   Not really a breach 19:32  |  Daniel 06/11/09
  19.   Did E German suicide bombers were sent to blow up W Germans? 19:45  |  Dan 06/11/09
  20.   NEWS FLASH 19:50  |  David 06/11/09
  21.   disputed territory not occupied 19:53  |  real vision 06/11/09
  22.   Palestinians chose to build the Separation Barrier 20:05  |  RfaelMoshe 06/11/09
  23.   Always these religious shoutings whenever 20:13  |  syrian opinion 06/11/09
  24.   # 3 Akiva 20:20  |  Confused 06/11/09
  25.   CJ Let me tell you something 21:10  |  Bilbi 06/11/09
  26.   Frankly it works 21:40  |  Daniel 06/11/09
  27.   Can you blame them? 21:50  |  utagawa 06/11/09
  28.   Shoot them and repair the wall. 22:02  |  Heather Czerniak 06/11/09
  29.   The wall does not separate Israelis from Palestinains. 22:12  |  Ryan 06/11/09
  30.   TEAR DOWN THE WALL! 22:19  |  Ramsey Kamar 06/11/09
  31.   To CJ - That Claim is Predicated on a Premise that you... 22:20  |  Eli 06/11/09
  32.   To Utawaga - The Questions Then Is A Matter of ... 22:27  |  Eli 06/11/09
  33.   Re #8 Daniels 22:32  |  Apa 06/11/09
  34.   The problem is the Wall isn`t on Israeli land 22:35  |  Marc Leb 06/11/09
  35.   The security barrier 22:38  |  Jeff 06/11/09
  36.   Marc Leb-And So the Israeli Supreme Court Has Also Ruled 22:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 06/11/09
  37.   To utagawa #9 23:05  |  Sani Meo 06/11/09
  38.   Marc Leb 23:10  |  Sean 06/11/09
  39.   Great protest against a wall on their land 23:12  |  Stephen L 06/11/09
  40.   An iconic picture 23:20  |  David 06/11/09
  41.   A poetical move 00:02  |  Froy 07/11/09
  42.   A Lot of Work 00:03  |  Ron 07/11/09
  43.   Daniel in Tel Aviv - it`s true 00:12  |  Mary Hughes 07/11/09
  44.   The wall WILL fall 00:23  |  Ann Fink 07/11/09
  45.   How pathetic 00:27  |  Gilles 07/11/09
  46.   The Wall keeps them out? 00:43  |  Ann Fink 07/11/09
  47.   The message is clear 02:00  |  hf 07/11/09
  48.   Eli - Uh? 02:42  |  CJ 07/11/09
  49.   Fundamentally defective design 02:43  |  Mark Lincoln 07/11/09
  50.   will come down 03:04  |  Hirz 07/11/09
  51.   Ann Fink 03:26  |  Jasper 07/11/09
  52.   what is needed 04:45  |  Dionysus 07/11/09
  53.   "fundamentally defective design" 05:30  |  Ann Fink 07/11/09
  54.   The ICJ have ruled the wall a violation of International Law 05:53  |  Shiv 07/11/09
  55.   34 Shiv 07:23  |  Jochai Rubinstein 07/11/09
  56.   CJ-Er it`s keeping murderers out to save lives in 08:11  |  Akiva 07/11/09
  57.   Jochai 08:35  |  Shiv 07/11/09
  58.   There are a total of 26 such walls protecting various countries, 08:43  |  listenupfools 07/11/09
  59.   Protection? so build on your own land. 10:12  |  Sara 07/11/09
  60.   CJ non stop stupidiy Uhyyyyyy 10:46  |  arik 07/11/09
  61.   MAKE THE WALL STRONGER AND FINISH IT. 10:47  |  Petra 07/11/09
  62.   They are already in 12:51  |  ravi! 07/11/09
  63.   in and out 17:16  |  Cyrl 07/11/09
  64.   No 8 Daniel. There`s more to it. 17:52  |  Ben Alofs 07/11/09
  65.   Hamas ended suicide bombings, not the wall 19:23  |  David 07/11/09
  66.   The message is clear 20:20  |  Mark Lincoln 07/11/09
  67.   Do what is right 21:31  |  Jay 07/11/09
  68.   the freedom 22:49  |  mohamed ramadan 07/11/09
  69.   Jay #46: Do what is WHAT? 03:09  |  A. T. Wilson 08/11/09
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