Two people wounded in protest against Israel's separation barrier

The violence occurred during a weekly demonstration against the barrier at the West Bank town of Bilin. Israel says the barrier, which consists of fences, trenches and high concrete walls, is needed to keep out Palestinian attackers. Palestinians say Israel is using the barrier, which snakes inside the West Bank, to annex West Bank land Palestinians claim for a future state.

Photo: Two people wounded in protest against Israel's separation barrier

The army said it used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd after they tried to tear down barbed wire, threw rocks at the soldiers and assaulted them.

An Associated Press reporter at the demonstration saw four people hit with rubber bullets during the protest, including a photographer, who was hit in the hand. Philip Rice from Sydney, Australia, and Bjarke Karinssonlund from Ry, Denmark, were hit in the head with the rubber coated metal balls during the demonstration, according to the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian activist group, the AP reports.

Anat Dolev, a spokeswoman at Tel Hashomer Hospital said both were lightly to moderately injured. Rice was hit in the head and being treated for internal bleeding and Karinssonlund was hit in the neck and also being treated for internal bleeding, she said.

Two Israel protesters were also lightly hurt, the army said.