Israel begins dismantling section of barrier

NAALIN CROSSING, West Bank (AP) — Israel on Sunday began tearing down a section of its contentious West Bank separation barrier near a village that has come to symbolize Palestinian opposition to the enclosure, the military said.

The rerouting marked a major victory for the residents of Bilin and the international groups that have backed their struggle, but they said it fell short of their demands to remove the structure from the village altogether and vowed to continue with their weekly protests.

The dismantling of the section near Bilin comes four years after Israeli Supreme Court ordered it torn down, rejecting the military's argument that the route was necessary to secure the nearby Modiin Illit settlement.

Col. Saar Tsur, the regional brigade commander, said the military has begun taking apart a two-mile stretch of the barrier and has replaced it with a 1.6-mile-long wall adjacent to the settlement. He said the new route would give the military less response time in case of a potential infiltration.

"This is a new threat, but we can handle it," he said, adding that the work would be done by the end of the week.

Bilin lost half its land to the barrier, and years of weekly protests there frequently have evolved into clashes between activists and Israeli troops.

Israel began building the barrier in late 2002 to keep out Palestinian attackers amid a wave of suicide bombers targeting its cities. It says the structure is needed to keep militants from reaching Israeli population centers.

But the barrier juts into the West Bank, and critics say the route is designed to grab land that Palestinians want for a state. The barrier, when completed, is projected to swallow some 6 percent to 8 percent of the West Bank.

Col. Tsur said the new route will put some 140 acres back in Palestinian hands. He said the total cost of the project is $9 million.

The protests have become a ritual of sorts each Friday, making the once out-of-the-way farming village a fashionable cause among activists. Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu are among the notables who have participated. The nearby village of Naalin started similar marches three years ago.

The Bilin protests, attended by villagers as well as Israeli and international activists, usually involve a mix of marching, chanting and throwing rocks at Israeli troops. Two Palestinians, and five in Naalin, have died, and hundreds others have been wounded since the protests began in 2005.

One Bilin demonstrator was hit in the chest with a tear-gas canister, and another woman died after she inhaled tear gas. Palestinians said she had a pre-existing medical condition that was exacerbated by the acrid fumes.

In March 2009, 38-year-old Tristan Anderson of Oakland, Calif., was badly wounded after he was hit in the head with a tear-gas canister during a West Bank protest. Mr. Anderson lost his right eye and suffered brain damage.

Dozens of Israeli troops and police also have been injured, including one who lost an eye.

Col. Tsur called the protests acts of violence and said he doubted they would cease even after Israel rerouted the barrier's course because there was "big money involved" in backing the protesters.

Indeed, Bilin activists said the move would not influence their opposition.

"We are going to continue until we get all our rights. This barrier isn't for security. It's to steal land and build settlements," said Rami Burnat, a 30-year-old resident paralyzed in a separate demonstration 10 years ago.

While activists say the Israeli move falls short of their goals, they insist it happened only because of their stubborn demonstrations.

"We showed that we could put facts on the ground," said Mohammed Khatib of Bilin.

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