Anti-wall Protests: army violence in Bil`in, relative restraint in Walaja

By Ghassan Bannoura/John Smith
IMEMC

September 28, 2007

http://www.imemc.org/article/50679
http://www.imemc.org/article/50677

Video coverage Bil`in at http://mishtara.org/blog/?p=250

Nine injured in the weekly non violent protest at Bil`in

At the weekly non violent protest at the village of Bil`in, located near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, nine civilians were injured due to Israeli army attacks on the protest.

Villagers, Internationals and Israelis marched after conducting the Friday prayers in the village towards the wall which Israel is building on the stolen village land.

Regardless of the fact that the Israeli high court of Justice, at the beginning of the month, ruled that the section of the wall built in Bil`in is an illegal structure and should be removed. The Israeli army nevertheless attacked the civilian protesters with batons, sound bombs and tear gas injuring nine of them.

Among those injured were Mustafa Al Khatib, Abdullah Abu Rahmah and Mohammed Khalil.

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Peaceful demonstration at al-Walaja village

One hundred Palestinian villagers, alongside Israeli and international supporters, on Friday conducted a non-violent protest at the construction site of the illegal Israeli Wall that is destroying the village lands of al-Walaja.

At Friday mid-day, the protestors gathered for prayers, shortly after which the demonstrators marched towards the wall`s construction site, holding flags and banners calling for the Wall to be torn down.

Israeli soldiers surrounded the demonstration, marching with it, but not intervening in protest`s progress.

Protestors remained at the site for one-and-a-half hours, while speeches were delivered by local organizers, shortly after which the demonstration peacefully dispersed.