Published 8 March 2015 (21 hours 20 minutes ago)
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Over a thousand women demanding the end of the occupation were met with violence.
As the world celebrated International Women's Day, a group of 1,500 women – both Israelis and Palestinians – marched to Qalandia checkpoint, dividing Jerusalem and Ramallah, on Sunday to demand the end of Israel's occupation and were met with violence from troops.
“Our greetings to the Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli prisons and the female martyrs and wives of martyrs,” organisers said in a statement ahead of the march. “We promise them to continue ...until (we reach) freedom.”
The women were met with tear gas bombs by the Israeli military and riots broke out, leaving 30 injured and 14 hospitalized, mostly women. At least 7 Palestinian women were detained.
The riots were sparked by the Israeli forces' denial of permission to open a checkpoint, which would have allowed protesters on both sides of it to unite at the rally.
As marchers approached a closed gate, some tried to climb and put up Palestinian flags when Israeli soldiers used pepper spray, stun grenades, and tear gas to stop them.
The Qalandiya checkpoint is one of the main symbols of the Israeli occupation. An estimated 2 million Palestinians in the West Bank are not allowed to pass through this checkpoint to go to Jerusalem or Israel.
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