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Bil’in residents demonstrate in support of recent Swedish initiative calling for a Palestinian state

Bil’in Popular Committee

4 December 2009

Residents of Bil’in, alongside international and Israeli solidarity activists, demonstrated against the Wall after the Friday prayer. Many suffered from tear-gas inhalation, as the Israeli armed forces fired upon protestors as they approached the illegal Wall. The demonstration concluded at 1 pm.

The weekly demonstration, organized by the Bil’in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, was centered on the recent endeavor of the Swedish government. Sweden, as president of the European Union, recently announced plans to discuss a draft for a Palestinian state, recognizing Jerusalem as its capital. The Popular Committee encourages the just effort and calls on other governments to support the initiative.

Demonstrators marched from the center of Bil’in village, chanting slogans against the theft of Palestinian land and called for an end to Israel’s military occupation. People rallied especially as a response to the escalation of the Israeli authorities to resume an arrest and intimidation campaign against Bil’in protestors (which began on 23 June 2009).