Some 100 Palestinians, 50 internationals and ten Israelis gathered this Friday in the village of Ma'asara for a wedding march, which was combined with the weekly anti-wall demonstration in order to highlight the severe personal and social implications of the occupation, the oppression and the wall. Demonstrators accompanied a couple that got married just the night before and two other couples disguised as newlyweds all the way across the village, with marriage songs and protest slogans interchanging and completing each other. Coming close to the end of the built area of the village the couples left to prepare themselves for the next part of the wedding-protest.
The rest of the demonstration proceeded, and was met with soldiers and barbed wire, stopping the demonstration from reaching the village's agricultural lands. They then gave speeches in Arabic, English and Hebrew, at the end of which the newlyweds appeared right behind the soldiers' line – marching from the lands towards the village.
The soldiers, now trapped between the marriage procession and the couples, stormed and attacked the demonstrators, hitting them with rifles. Three Israeli activists were arrested, and one of them was beaten badly. All three were charged with assault of the Major who was commanding the soldiers, and with violation of a closed military zone. All three were later released, but are now banned to return to the area for two weeks. The activist who was beaten required medical attention and was taken to a hospital.
Meanwhile the demonstration concluded with no further arrests or wounded. However, the so-called "assaulted" Major pronounced that next week a curfew will be enforced in the village on Friday at 5AM, to prevent any more demonstrations. We will, of course, be there.
This week too, Ni'ilin's weekly demonstration against the wall began after the prayer. The demonstrators managed to arrive near the fence, out of site with the counter-demo held at the checkpoint by the extreme right organization "IM TIRTZU" ("If You Will It") in support of the "courageous combatants" – the Israeli oppressing military & police forces.
Some youth throwing stones at the soldiers & fence we're met by tear gas and sporadic bursts of quasi-sewage liquid shot from water cannon ("The Skunk"). The demonstration continued for a relatively short period today – as the villagers were keen to arrive to a wedding held at the village. No injuries were inflicted, and the demonstration dispersed quietly.
Dozens of Palestinians, Israeli & International activists gathered, as usual, to the Friday demonstration in Bilin. As the prayer ended, the demonstrators began marching towards the fence, singing protest and anti-occupation chants, adding to it this time birthday songs for one of the international activists living in the village. As the march neared the fence, the popular committee members asked the demonstrators not to throw stones, as the demonstration is meant to be non-violent, targeting at arriving near the fence and carrying speeches there. Three speakers in Arabic, English & Hebrew addressed the soldiers with messages of peace, co-existence & the joint popular struggle. The somewhat less moving speech the soldiers gave only informed the demonstrators the demonstration is illegal, and must be dispersed immediately. As the demonstration did not disappear on the spot, the stinky green liquid known as the "skunk" or simply the "shit" was sprayed upon the participants.
Despite the awful stench, the demonstrators haven't fled too far – that was gained as approximately 30 tear gas canisters were shot at once from a special canon.
Yet, few of the demonstrators stayed near the fence ignoring the masses of gas and skunk sprays. The soldiers, in response, crossed the fence, lined up covering themselves with shields, and threw tear gas grenades at them. This drill ended in a few minutes, and the soldiers returned to the other side of the fence. No injuries were recorded, yet many were severely hurt with tear gas inhalation, carrying the promise to return the next week, and the following, and for many more to come… till the wall falls!
