On Friday, a few dozen Palestinian people of Bil'in and their supporters from Palestine and abroad, including some 20 Israeli citizens, went to demonstrate against the fence that annexes the lands of Bil'in, against the night raids that the army commits in an attempt to oppress the village protest and terrorize its people and against the Israeli occupation at large.
When the demonstrators reached the fence, one of them declared in front of the soldiers present that this was a non-violent demonstration; that the night raids only strengthen Bil'in people in their struggle for freedom and livelihood; on the demonstrators' intention to harvest the olive trees that reside on Bil'in's land beyond the fence; and that the demonstrators do not need permits from the occupation to do so. Other demonstrators told the soldiers in Arabic, English and Hebrew that they are occupiers and should go away, and that the fence in its current route should fall even according to an Israeli court decision.
The demonstrators opened the wired fence's gate, marched to the road between the fences and hang Palestinian flags on them. At this stage the soldiers threw tear gas hand grenades towards them. After a few rounds of tear gas, few soldiers opened the fence gate and ran towards the demonstrators in an attempt to commit arrests and\or scare the demonstrators, but they retreated after a few stones were thrown at them. When the demonstrators already started moving towards the village, the soldiers threw some more tear gas grenades at them.
Nil'in 2-10-09
The weekly protest against the wall in Ni'lin was the first one held during the olive harvest season. This is also the first harvest season since the completion of the wall on Ni'lin land, and the village is waiting to see whether the occupation forces will fulfill their stated commitment to allow the villagers access to their land on the other side of the wall.
Families who still have remaining olive trees that haven't been stolen by the wall have begun the work of picking the olives (this year is a bad year for the olive crop). Ni'lin families with olive trees beyond the wall haven't been allowed to cross over to harvest them yet, as the army has requested a list of names from the municipality.
The protesters marched towards the route of the concrete wall placed alongside the fence, carrying pictures of the 6 Ni'lin youths who are currently detained by the Israeli army. Some of the protesters pelted soldiers with stones, while others called on them to refuse to participate in the theft of Palestinian land. Soldiers fired tear gas at protesters, in some cases directly, and used for the first time in some months aluminum canisters, that are much more dangerous if fired directly at people. Additionally, they sprayed the stinking green substance at the most daring of protesters who got within the range of the jets of fluid. After a couple of hours soldiers crossed the wall, and the protesters backed off. No serious injuries were recorded, aside from some gas inhalation.
In Ma'asara some 70 demonstrators, with a relatively large proportion of women, left the village towards its lands after the Friday prayer. Demonstrators were joined by some twenty Israeli and international activists against the Apartheid Wall. The army, as usual, placed barbed wire one the road leading from the village itself to its lands, and barred demonstrators from proceeding.
Speeches were carried out in Arabic, English and Hebrew, commemorating the death of Dr. Abd Al-Shafi and and Dr. Edward Sa'id.
The demonstration ended after about an hour.
Ma'asara 2-10-09
Palestinian protesters removed army-placed rocks blocking the road that leads to the West Bank village of Qarut, near Nablus, on October 2, 2009. A group of Palestinian protesters, Israeli and foreign peace activists demonstrated against the Israeli blockade of the main road that leads to the village of Qarut and against the nearby Jewish settlement of Shelo.
Qarut direct action 2-10-09
