French activists arrested at West Bank protest

27/12/2010

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Nine French activists were arrested on Sunday during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at a major Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank, police and protest organizers said.

"Our forces today dispersed protesters who were throwing rocks at us and proceeded to arrest nine people, including some foreigners," Israel National Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

"The protest took place at the Qalandiya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, and the police made arrests after the activists tried to cross the checkpoint," he added.

A spokesman for the French EuroPalestine activist group said nine French citizens were arrested at the demonstration. A Palestinian detained at the protest was later released, he said

On Saturday, another French activist, Layli Ben Saffi, was arrested by the Israeli military during a protest against Israeli settler activity in the West Bank city of Hebron. He was released on Saturday evening.

Some 70 members of the EuroPalestine group have spent the last week in the Palestinian territories on an observer mission, a group spokesman said.

The president of the organization, Olivia Zemor, was deported last Wednesday "on the recommendation of the security services," after being detained at Ben Gurion upon arrival.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=345591.