BILIN, WEST BANK, March 18, 2011 (WAFA) – Palestinian non-violence activist Abdullah Abu Rahmeh participated Friday in the weekly anti-fence protest in the village of Bilin, west of Ramallah, for the first time since his release last week.

Abu Rahmeh spent more than a year in Israeli prisons for his anti-fence activities. The international community denounced his imprisonment describing it as an infringement on his right to freedom of expression through non-violent means.

As the case in every week, the Israeli army responded by firing heavy rounds of tear gas at the protestors, who included Israeli and international activists, causing harm to several protestors.

Similar protests took place in nearby Nilin and further out in Nabi Saleh, where the Israeli army showered the protestors with tear gas and at times firing rubber bullets at them.

Protests also took place in the village of al-Masara, in the Bethlehem area.

A number of people were hurt in the Israeli crackdown on the protests, which demand Israel stop taking villages’ land to build a fence to protect illegal settlements built on their land.

M.A.