Several thousand people attended a march in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to protest 40 years of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, which began when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War.

The marchers proceded from Rabin Square to the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum on Shaul Hamelech Street, and traffic in the area was closed to traffic for duration of the march.

Earlier Saturday, dozens of Palestinians and foreign activists staged a protest at the separation barrier Saturday in the Jerusalem area to mark the anniversary.

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The protesters gathered at the Qalandia terminal, built into a wall ringing much of the city. The barrier, meant to keep out Palestinian suicide bombers, also cuts through outlying Palestinian neighborhoods of the city, and makes it difficult for tens of thousands of Arab residents of Jerusalem to reach jobs and schools.

An estimated 150 protesters marched to Qalandia, holding Palestinian flags. Banners called for an end to occupation and a halt to the construction of the separation barrier in the West Bank, about two-thirds complete.

The marchers were stopped by Israel Defense Forces troops at the entrance to the terminal.

"We tell the world that 40 years of occupation is enough," said one of the protesters, Allam Jarar, 56. "This occupation must be stopped, and the Palestinian people must be given the right to self-determination."