FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On Friday 23rd February Bil’in village west of Ramallah marks two years of non-violent resistance to the annexation barrier and illegal settlements. Every Friday for the past two years villagers from Bil’in have marched from the village mosque after midday prayers to the site
of the barrier to protest the barrier and illegal settlement of Mod’in Elit which together have annexed over sixty percent of Bil’in’s agricultural land.
Activists from all over the world have stood shoulder to shoulder with the Bil’in villagers in their peaceful and creative struggle. Over six hundred have been injured, with some suffering permanent injury by Israeli military violence, which has been condemned by international
human rights groups such as Amnesty International.
Peace activists from Bil’in have been especially targetted by Israeli forces with over fifty villagers being arrested during demonstrations and nighttime invasions. They have frequently spent weeks in military detention on spurious charges. Bil’in refuses to submit to such
Israeli oppression and vows to continue the non-violent struggle until the dismantling of the illegal barrier and settlements.
A photo exhibition featuring some of the creative protests from the past two years will be held in the village before the march from the village mosque.