28 August 2009
Three injured and dozens were suffocated with tear gas during their participation at Bili’n weekly demonstration against the apartheid wall and the construction of settlements on Bili’n lands. Three protesters: Rani Burnat, Omar Attamemi, and Zuhdya Alkhatib were lightly wounded. The demonstration started at the center of the village directly after the Friday prayers, with participation of international and Israeli peace activists. In addition to Qais Abu Laila (PLC member) and a number of other comrades and members of the Palestinian National Council from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Mr. Abu Laila and his comrades have met with representatives of the popular committee and listened to a clear explanation of them on the experience of Bil’in struggle during the past four and a half years. Although Ali Faysal one of the PNC members in Lebanon expressed his support to Bil’in struggle and he emphasized on the continuation of the struggle against the wall and the settlements.
On other hand, the PFLP revived the eighth anniversary of the martyrdom of the leader Abu Ali Mustafa who was assassinated by the Israeli aircraft, thus the participants raised pictures of Abu Ali Mustafa, Palestinian flags and slogans condemning the occupation. While the Comrade Khalida Jarar (PFLP member) had a speech about Abu Ali Mustafa and he stressed the need for national unity, and continuing struggle against the occupation.
Demonstrators walked in the village streets chanting and calling for national unity, reviving comrades from abroad, and glorifying the memory of the martyr (Abu Ali Mustafa). Upon their arrival to the wall, a group of demonstrators who wear uniforms of workers tried to dismantle the wall, to express that the Israeli has to remove the wall and to implement the resolution issued by the Israeli Supreme Court to remove the wall. The Israeli soldiers reply was throwing gas and sound bombs, were dozens were suffocated with tear gas.
On the other side, a delegation from “The Elders” organization visited Bil’in yesterday, as they had a clear idea about the suffering of Bil’in’s people, as the Delegation has expressed its solidarity with the people of Bil’in and their rejection of the settlements on their land. The organization was founded by Mr. Nelson Mandela , as it includes a group of prominent leaders in the world, Mr.Jimmy Carter, Mr. Desmond Tutu, Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Ms. Mary Robinson, and Ayla Bhatt, Gro Brundtland, the delegation was accompanied by two business men; Richard Branson, and Jeff Skoll.
The delegation visited the wall where they saw how the wall confiscates half of Bilin’s lands, although they visited the place of the weekly demonstrations at the wall area in Bil’in village, as the huge number of tear gas and sound bombs bottles were on the ground everywhere. The delegation put up a memorial on the memorial of the martyr Basem Abu Rahma.