Israel breaks up barrier protest

Some protesters threw stones at the Israeli troops

Israeli security forces have clashed with demonstrators protesting against Israel's West Bank barrier.

Hundreds of protesters tried to stop construction workers cutting down olive trees on the barrier route near the village of Bidou, close to Jerusalem.

At least 10 protesters - including two Israelis - were injured when soldiers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Two Israeli border police were also wounded, army radio said.

Three Palestinians were arrested during the demonstration, police said.

Olive trees

One farmer said all of his 180 olive trees had been cut down by construction workers with chain saws.

"I've worked on this land for 20 years... this is our livelihood," Mahmoud Saadeh told the Associated Press.

In recent weeks, there have been a number of protests against the barrier in Palestinian villages in the West Bank, particularly those near Jerusalem.

At the end of February, two Palestinians were killed in the same village after Israeli troops clashed with hundreds of demonstrators trying to halt the building work.

The barrier is part wall, part fence and, if completed, will run for 640km (397 miles) through the West Bank.

Israel says it is vital to block suicide bombers, but opponents say the barrier will severely disrupt the lives of 30,000 Palestinians in the area, cutting them off from Jerusalem and the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

Israel has agreed to shorten the original barrier route by 80km to ease the burden on Palestinians.