Some 45 Israelis and over a dozen internationals joined a larger than usual weekly Palestinian demonstration against the wall in Bil'in. The demonstration commemorated a year since the killing of peaceful resistance poplar leader Bassem Abu Rahme by an Israeli soldier in a demonstration - a killing which Israeli authorities have recently announced will not be investigated. Among the participants were spotted some senior Fatah members, escorted by a Fatah youth marching band. After a string of speeches that commemorated Bassem and commended popular resistance the demonstrators marched to the wall and gathered at the gate.
Bil'in, April 16 2010
Within less than a minute the army covered the area with tear gas. The younger demonstrators tried to explain to the army that violence brings on counter violence, but the army's response was even more violent and escalated to rubber coated and live bullets. As the confrontation between the shabab and the soldiers moved north along the wall, the gas reached the demonstrators who remained farther back, and pushed them back into the village. Just after leaving the gas range, an ice cream car awaited the demonstrators.
After military forces invaded Ma'asara Thursday night, making threats to the leaders of the popular struggle once again, the weekly demonstration took place Friday noon and was bigger than usual due to the commemoration of the Palestinian Prisoners' Day. Twenty Israelis and internationals joined the 150 people strong Palestinian march, which included a massive drumming band of the Jerusalem Palestinian scout movement and the high Sheikh of the PA's Shri'a courts, Taisir Al-Tamimi.
Ma'asara, April 16 2010
Demonstrators marched through the village streets after the noon prayer, and as usual were stopped by soldiers who blocked the main road towards the stolen village lands. Two elderly women whose sons are held in Israeli prisons told their stories, and received medals of honor from Fatah and Al-Tamimi. Speeches were carried in Arabic, English and Hebrew, and attempts to speak to the soldiers in either of the above languages and explain to them about the situation of Palestinian prisoners failed. The demonstration lasted an hour and a half, ending with the promise to return next week, as has been for three and a half years now.
The demonstration in Nabi-Saleh began after the Friday prayer in a mosque in the village center. The demonstrators marched together – Palestinians, Israeli & internationals along the road leading to the village entrance, still smelling from the prior week vast amounts of "skunk" liquid sprayed by the military. From there, the march proceeded through the fields to the main road, which was blocked in advance by the village youth with stones. Without any provocation, the soldiers started firing tear gas, and re-gained control over the entrance to the village, shooting tear gas and rubber coated bullets. Some youth, members of the popular committee and Israeli supporters marched towards the spring the settlers confiscated but were held back again by soldiers. After negotiating with the commander, the soldiers pulled away from the village, and the relatively calm demonstration soon faded away.
In Ni'ilin, some 50 demonstrators gathered in the village fields and marched to the route of the wall after the Friday prayer. The march reached the wall, and confrontations erupted between the village youth and the soldiers who fired tear gas from behind the wall. The confrontations continued for several hours, as the confrontations switched locations along the wall.
Ni'ilin, April 16 2010
In Sheikh Jarrah some 400 people demonstrated against the ongoing policy of settlement building in the neighborhood.
Sheikh Jarrah, April 16 2010
At some point about 50 demonstrators took a walk around police barricades, and reached one of the evicted houses. Police quickly intervened against this breech of the unwritten law allowing only Jewish settlers into the neighborhood, and the demonstrators too were evicted from the premises. Several other attempts of police to push activists around from one place to the other were noted, but no arrests made.The demonstration ended after two hours.
