RAMALLAH, May 15, 2012 (WAFA) – Palestinian activists Tuesday crossed a checkpoint separating the West Bank from Israel, located west of Ramallah, and raised Palestinian flags in a demonstration commemorating the 64th anniversary of the Palestinian 1948 Nakba, according to a local activist.

One of the participants said that more than 50 activists from a Ramallah-based youth group headed to the Israeli checkpoint near Nilin, a village west of Ramallah and near the city of Ramleh on the other side of the border, and crossed the checkpoint as part of a the Historical Return to Ramleh march.

The participants raised Palestinian flags and put up posters emphasizing the Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their land, including the once-all-Arab city of Ramleh, which now has an Arab minority compared to the outnumbering Israeli Jewish population.

The Israeli army used force and tear gas to disperse the protest and to force the activists back behind the checkpoint, as well as arrested an international activist and the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in the Ramallah area village of Nabi Saleh, Naji Tamimi.

The Historical Return to Ramleh march is part of the nation-wide popular activities commemorating the Nakba Day when Palestinians were uprooted from their homes in Palestine in 1948 and which led to the establishment of Israel.

R.Q./M.S.