Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested seven participants in a peaceful protest march in Walaja village, west of Bethlehem, on Wednesday, local sources said.
Member of the popular committee to resist the wall and settlement in the village Ala’a Al-Daras said that a massive march started from the village and headed to its agricultural land where the soldiers were bulldozing the area to prepare for construction of a section of the segregation wall.
He said that the soldiers assaulted the participants beating them with batons and rifle butts leading to a violent confrontation during which seven participants including five foreigners were arrested.
Daras explained that the IOF soldiers tried to foil the march by installing a road barrier at the entrance to the village.
IOF bulldozers had started leveling vast areas of Ein Juwaize area in Walaja village on Tuesday to pave the way for the construction of a section of the separation wall and uprooted tens of fruitful trees in the process.
The soldiers detained a Mexican delegation that included MPs and journalists after trying to prevent the soldiers from destroying the trees and the cultivated land lots.
