Israel has cracked down on the latest nonviolent effort by Palestinian activists to stop the ongoing expansion of Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank. On Sunday, Israeli troops raided a tent encampment dubbed Bab al-Shams, Arabic for “Gate of the Sun,” in the so-called E1 settlement zone that bisects the West Bank. The E1 construction had largely been put on hold following U.S. objections dating back to President George W. Bush. But Israel resumed work there last month in response to the U.N. vote recognizing Palestine as a non-member observer state. The activists behind Bab al-Shams pitched around 20 tents at the site on Friday in a bid to oppose the latest settlement growth. Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouthi said Palestinians are protecting the land of their future independent state.

Mustafa Barghouthi: “This is Palestinian land. It is owned by a Palestinian, and we are legally here. What you see here is the best and most beautiful act of nonviolent resistance. We are encountering the Israeli illegal settlements with building settlements on stolen Palestinian land by building on our own land.”

The inhabitants of Bab al-Shams remained there until early Sunday morning, when around 500 Israeli forces raided the encampment and detained several people. Organizers say at least six people were wounded in the crackdown. In a statement, the Palestinian Popular Struggle Coordination Committee vowed to continue similar actions, saying: “This is not the end of the popular struggle and it will continue in its full strength.”