Security forces beat four anti-fence protesters near the West Bank village of Bil'in, and one of them was beaten after he was arrested, demonstrators in the area said Friday.
Three of the protesters were lightly hurt and the condition of the arrested demonstrator is unknown.
The clashes erupted Friday after 200 Israelis, Palestinians and foreigners tried to arrive at Bil'in in order to erect a protest tent against the expansion of the settlement of Upper Modi'in on lands confiscated from the Palestinian residents of Bil'in.
On Thursday Israel Defense Forces troops evacuated some 50 left-wing activists who had barricaded themselves inside a caravan "outpost" built near the Bil'in on land cut off from the village by the separation fence.
The fence cuts village residents off from approximately half of their lands.
According to activists at the scene, the IDF force numbered some 150 troops, who broke into the caravan using sledgehammers and chains. The caravan was later lifted in the air by a crane to prevent people from returning.
Several activists were also detained for questioning. The activists inside the caravan included 30 Palestinians and 20 left-wing Israeli activists.
The caravan was situated on land adjacent to the Matityahu East neighborhood of Upper Modi'in, where hundreds of illegal Jewish housing units have recently been constructed.
Security sources said that it was clear to them that immediately after the evacuation, they would need to explain to the court why they are hurrying to act against Palestinian illegal construction and tarrying on curbing illegal construction in the settlements.
According to one of the sources, the Palestinian outpost "turned into a security problem the moment there was no fence separating the caravan dwellers from Israeli territory."
Bil'in has become the symbol of the struggle against the separation fence, serving as the site of dozens of joint Palestinian-Israeli demonstrations in the past year. Some of the demonstrations have ended in violent altercations with security forces.
Dealing with the caravan is liable to be an embarrassment for the IDF and the Civil Administration.
Akiva Eldar of Haaretz recently exposed the Civil Administration's admission that 750 housing units had been built illegally with no permits whatsoever. The caravan, which arrived Wednesday from inside Israel, was standing approximately 100 meters away from the Matityahu East construction site.
According to the law, the Civil Administration can take down the container within a month of its placement without legal proceedings. But the IDF is well aware that if this is done, the Palestinians will formally accuse the Civil Administration of discrimination in hurrying to dismantle a lone Palestinian caravan while ignoring hundreds of illegal units in an adjacent Jewish neighborhood.
Civil Administration sources said that the construction in Upper Modi'in is indeed illegal and "the head of the Administration is examining its options to address the situation."
