Over 35 Israelis and 15 internationals joined several dozens of Palestinians for the weekly demonstration in Bil'in. Following the commemoration of 40 days since the murder of the demonstrator Bassem Abu Rahme by the army, demonstrators wore masks with prints of Bassem's face, chanting slogans against the wall and the occupation. After a couple of minutes of peaceful demonstration at the fence's gate, the army started shooting tear gas, and the shabab returned stones. As scattered gas grenades could not disperse the demonstrators, the army used a canon that shot a large number of grenades at once. The demonstrators had to retreat, but Rani, who is bound to a wheelchair, could not flee fast enough, and had to be evacuated by an ambulance. Later a journalist was evacuated by an ambulance after being hit directly by a gas grenade. The demonstration was dispersed earlier than usual in order to attend a local soccer tournament dedicated to Bassem's memory.

Israeli troops using teargas against protesters, al Ma'asara

On Friday - coinciding with the May 1st, International Workers’ Day - Israeli and international activists joined residents of al Ma’asara (near Bethlehem), Ni’ilin and Bil’in (near Ramallah) for their ongoing protest marches against the Apartheid wall, this week with an added emphasis on labor rights. Arrests, teargas projectiles, concussion grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition formed the arsenal with which the Israeli military tried to contain, disperse and suppress the protests against the wall. Several people, both demonstrators and regular residents of the villages, were injured as troops attacked the assembled crowds without provocation. Video inside.

Protesters at the Separation Barrier taking cover behind a makeshift shield, Bil'in. Photo: AP/Muhammed Muheisen

On Friday, Israeli and international activists joined residents of al Ma’asara (near Bethlehem), Bil’in and Ni’ilin (near Ramallah) in their continuing weekly demonstrations against the Apartheid wall. Just as before, and while Israel is in the midst of Passover celebrations - also known as “the freedom holiday” - the Israeli military did its very best to trample Palestinian freedom, stifle Palestinian protest and deny these villages the very right to demonstrate against the theft of their lands. Several people were injured by teargas projectiles and live ammunition (video inside).

Protesters sabotaging the fence at the the separation barrier, Ni'ilin

On Friday, residents of alMa’asara (near Bethlehem), Bil’in and Ni’ilin (near Ramallah) were joined by Israeli and international activists in their weekly protests against Israel’s wall and its ongoing, brutal military occupation. As is usually the case, Israeli soldiers and border police were at hand, deploying a wide range of weapons and tactics to violently prevent these Palestinian villages from demonstrating and expressing their dissent. Several people were injured from rubber-coated steel bullets as well as live ammunition. (video inside)

 Protest march is stopped by soldiers on Ni'ilin's land

On Monday and Tuesday, Israeli and international activists joined residents of Ni’ilin, Beit Liqya (both villages near Ramallah) and Jayyous (near Qalqilya), in events commemorating Land Day, a date on which Palestinians remember victims of a general strike called by Arabs living in Israel on March 30, 1976, in protest of massive land confiscations (the harsh repression and clashes that followed left six Arab citizens dead and hundreds injured and imprisoned). This year, in these three villages – as well as in many other places -  Israeli troops tried to either cut short or stop events altogether by threats and violence, but were unsuccessful. Despite the concussion grenades, the teargas, the rubber-coated steel bullets and the live ammunition, olive tree seedlings were planted, marches took place, and in one village residents even managed to sabotage the separation barrier.

Weekly protest against the wall, Bil'in. Video by Yisrael Puterman

On Friday, residents of Bil’in and Ni’ilin, two West Bank villages in the Ramallah area, were once more joined by Israeli and international activists in their weekly protest marches against Israel’s wall, whose construction involves expropriation of Palestinian agricultural lands on a massive scale. Protests in both villages were violently repressed by the army, resulting in several injuries from teargas as well as live ammunition.