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.
