Thousands protest at Israel's barrier

Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip marched in protest against Israel's separation barrier today.

In two locations, near the towns of Jenin and Tulkarem, soldiers fired tear gas to keep thousands of marchers from coming too close to the barrier.

More than 10,000 Palestinian demonstrators, including many government employees and students, marched in most West Bank towns. The protests coincided with court hearings on the legality of the barrier.

Yasser Arafat had urged Palestinians to "make their voices heard" to the court.

Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia led a rally in his home town of Abu Dis, a West Bank suburb of Jerusalem being cut off from the city by a tall concrete wall. Standing next to the wall, he told the crowd that such barriers can not guarantee security for Israel and would only breed discontent.

Israel says the barrier, consisting of fences, trenches and walls, is its last line of defence against Palestinian suicide bombers, who have killed 463 people, most of them Israelis, since 2000.

Yesterday a Palestinian bomber killed eight Israelis in an attack on a Jerusalem bus. The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, an armed group with ties to Mr Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility.

The Palestinians say the barrier, which is to run up to 450 miles, amounts to a land grab. The partition, about one third completed, disrupts the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians.