RAMALLAH: Street 60, a settler-only road near the village of Al-Khader, was shut down by Palestinian activists reports Palestinian News Network (PNN). Al-Khader is southwest of Bethlehem. Elsewhere, activists mobilized in order to deliver a letter to the office of the United Nations office in Bethlehem. On Street 60, the protestors unfurled Palestinian flags and signs in support of Palestinian hunger strikers and the Palestinian Prisoner Society. They used their bodies to halt traffic and demanded the release of the hunger strikers. According PNN reporters, the protestors consisted of Palestinians of all ages; many of which were former prisoners themselves. Palestinians have a long history of protesting Israeli bypass roads. On November 14, 2012, there were major protests of Israeli-only highways throughout the occupied West Bank. Israeli-only highways leading to settlements viewed as illegal under international law are a source of criticism against Israel's policy in the West Bank. Many activists highlight the parallels between Israeli-only highways and settlements to racial segregation in the United States leading up to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Israel continues to say that the highways are for security purposes only. BN
