As part of the popular mobilization to commemorate the Nakba, on Friday nearly 200 Palestinian farmers staged a sit-in at the gate the Apartheid Wall in Beit Ijza, Jerusalem district. Occupation forces prevented farmers, for the second month in a row, from entering their lands isolated behind the Wall. This measure has had negative repercussions for the ability of Palestinian farmers to engage in agriculture and maintain their livelihoods as it is currently the season in which vegetables have to be planted and grape leaves have to be harvested.
The farmers from Beit Ijza and surrounding villages held Friday prayers in the area close to the gate in the Wall. Then they gathered close to the first gate to protest and finally and tore down the gate in an attempt to gain access to their land. The gate is used by farmers in the village of Beit Ijza and and the Bedouin community living in the area.
The people then moved on to a second gate to tear it down as well, but the occupation forces were at the spot and immediately started firing tear gas at them. Two farmers were detained but other the farmers accompanied by international solidarity activists continued to protest near the Israeli soldiers and refused to leave the place until the two that were detained were released. Eventually, the demands of the protesters were met and both detained farmers were released.