The Israeli army arrested nine foreigners yesterday who were attempting
to prevent the destruction of Palestinian trees and land to make way for
a security fence designed to separate the West Bank from Israel.
    Protesters at the scene said that soldiers fired tear gas and live
ammunition at about 100 Palestinians and 30 foreigners from the US and
Europe who were blocking bulldozers trying to clear trees at Jayyous
near Qalqilia. Those detained include a Briton, Gerry Gibbon.
    "At first we managed to push the bulldozers back," said Huwaida
Arras, an American protester of Palestinian descent.
    "There was a standoff for two hours between the Israeli military and
people. Basically our position was that we wouldn't let them uproot any
more trees," said Ms Arras.
    "Then there was an ultimatum that we had to move or they would use
violence. The soldiers moved forward shooting at the people running
away.
    "A few of us stepped forward to block the soldiers from shooting and
at that point they turned the guns on us and they started beating us."
    Ms Arras said a Canadian, Thomas Linner, was badly assaulted. He was
hit repeatedly in the stomach with a rifle butt, she claimed.
    The Israeli army said it was responding to stone-throwing by the
protesters.
    The Israelis began building the "separation fence" about six months
ago.
    Although it loosely follows the path of the 1967 border, the
government does not want the combination of fence and wall to become a
border for a de facto Palestinian state, so it frequently runs several
kilometres inside the West Bank.
    In many places it cuts between Palestinian villages and their
agricultural land.
    Thousands of olive trees are being destroyed during the construction
and Palestinians will be unable to reach many tens of thousands more
once the fence is built.
    In Jayyous, villagers face losing access to about three-quarters of
their land. Residents say the fence will result in the loss of more than
200 greenhouses, 15,000 olive trees and 50,000 citrus trees.

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