Palestinian demonstrators throw stones at Israeli soldiers, behind barbed wire littered with spent tear gas canisters, during a protest against the barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah. Israel arrested the leader of the most persistent Palestinian protests against Israel's West Bank separation barrier on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. Bilin is a symbol of opposition to the barrier, portrayed by Palestinians as a land grab. The barrier separates Bilin from 60 percent of its land. Picture credit: Bernat Armangue/AP Photo

A leader of the most persistent Palestinian protest movement against Israel's West Bank separation barrier was asleep in his home when troops broke down his door and arrested him.

Supporters of Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, a 38-year-old teacher, say his pre-dawn arrest on Thursday by dozens of troops is part of a recent, heavy-handed campaign by Israel to shut down a five-year-old movement that is the last source of unrest in the West Bank.

Since 2005, demonstrators led by Abu Rahmeh have marched every Friday from the West Bank village of Bilin to the nearby separation barrier that slices off 60 percent of the village land. Their acts of protest, which have also included chaining themselves to trees, have won praise from Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu and support among Israeli peace activists.

About two years ago, villagers in nearby Naalin started similar marches.

Some demonstrators routinely throw stones at Israeli soldiers, who fire tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated bullets and occasionally live rounds. One Bilin man and five in Naalin have been killed and hundreds have been wounded over the years. Israeli troops have also suffered some — though far fewer — injuries, including a soldier who lost an eye.

Israel considers the protests illegal and portrays them as riots, not nonviolent demonstrations.

Israel says the barrier — a wall in some places, a system of roads, cameras and fences in places like Bilin — seeks to keep out Palestinian attackers, including suicide bombers. Palestinians call it a tool to steal land, since it juts far into the West Bank in some places.

Abu Rahmeh's Israeli lawyer, Gaby Lasky, said Israel is trying to stifle legitimate protest.

"The Israeli army has decided to crush the demonstrations by putting their leaders behind bars in complete violation of the right of freedom to demonstrate and freedom of speech," she said. Israel has declared the area a closed military zone, banning civilians and making it a violation of Israeli law to be there.