Weekly demonstration against the wall, Bil'in. Video by David Reeb
On Friday, Israeli and international activists joined Palestinians in the West Bank villages of Bil'in, Ni'ilin and Um Salmuna demonstrating against the Apartheid wall built on their lands.
In Bil'in, residents gathered after the Friday prayers and headed out from the village center towards the direction of the wall in a large, energetic march whose message included not only the call to dismantle the wall and end the occupation, but also to lift the siege on Gaza, an ongoing crime which many - in Israel and worldwide - seem able to ignore with the end of the brutal military assault.
As the crowd reached its destination and approached the gate on the fence separating them from their lands, it was immediately attacked by Israeli soldiers on the other side, who dispersed the peaceful protest with large amounts of teargas - first by hurling teargas grenades, later on by firing teargas canisters, causing dozens to suffer gas inhalation. Before the entire march was forced back into the village, a few youths responded to the army's attack by throwing stones. Two Palestinians were injured by soldiers.
For the past week, and as it nears its fourth year of joint protests, Bil'in has been raided during the night by soldiers almost on a daily basis, leading to some residents being taken by the army as well as to clashes between troops and local residents. These actions are carried out in order to scare Bil'in into abandoning its resistance; however, the village is determined to carry on in spite of all threats.
A photographer stands in front of teargas during a protest in Bil'in
In Ni'ilin, a similar attempt to lead people in a protest march to the route of the wall was met by troops attacking the demonstration right after the end of the traditional Friday prayers, even before it actually began moving. Two groups of soldiers and border police - one positioned among the olive trees and another on the hill facing protesters - fired massive amounts of teargas canisters at people, dispersing the crowd and provoking some youths into throwing stones to try and keep the army away from the village.
As demonstrators escaped the thick teargas clouds back to the village's streets, soldiers advanced on them, shooting teargas, rubber-coated steel bullets and several rounds of 0.22 caliber bullets fired by a sniper. The army then proceeded to position itself on the outskirts of the village, engaging local youth in sporadic clashes throughout the narrow streets and alleys and causing protesters and residents alike to endure severe gas inhalation for several hours. In total, three people were injured in their lower body from live ammunition, and six more from being struck by rubber-coated bullets and teargas projectiles.
Um Salmuna, a village south of Bethlehem where demonstrations have been significantly smaller and calmer, saw a new army officer take command and announce harsher penalties for Palestinians daring to protest (nonviolently) against the theft of one's livelihood.
Palestinian demonstrator engulfed in teargas at the apartheid wall, Bil'in
As in previous weeks, the army arbitrarily laid down a row of barbed-wire on the road leading to the wall as a makeshift barrier for demonstrators, but unlike in the past, as soon as a few young kids had the audacity to touch the barbed-wire, the new commanding officer declared that next week it will be placed 200 meters further into the village, and that from now on, any physical contact with the barbed-wire barrier will result in 200 meters more inside. "For all I care," remarked a border police officer backing up his IDF counterpart, "you can demonstrate each inside his own house."
Furthermore, soldiers carried out foiled attempts to arrest an Israeli activist and a member of the village's Popular Committee under the pretext of entering a closed military zone, and issued the threat of more serious arrests to come if demonstrations continue.
