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On 4 November 2008, the judge advocate general, Brig. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit, informed the High Court of Justice that, despite the court’s suggestion that the prosecution consider filing more serious charges against Lt. Col. Omri Borberg and Staff Sgt. L. in the case involving the shooting of a bound and blindfolded Palestinian in Ni’lin, he decided to leave the indictment as it is.
Attorney Dan Yakir, of the Association for Civil Rights, stated on behalf of the petitioners – the Association for Civil Rights, B’Tselem, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and Yesh Din – that, “We regret that, despite the severe criticism voiced by the High Court, the JAG remains firm in his opinion that abuse of a bound Palestinian detainee by a senior officer and shooting him is, at most, unbecoming conduct. The High Court now has the task of determining the appropriate response for such serious acts.”
A protest was launched today after the Friday prayer in Bil’in, with residents joined by international and Israeli activists. Palestinian flags, photos of Yasir Arafat, and banners marking his death were carried during the demonstration. Mr. Mashour Abu Daqa, the Minister of Traffic and Transport, and Mr. Basem Al Masri joined the demonstration today.
The demonstrators marched in the village chanting against the discriminatory policies of the occupation and paying respect for Arafat’s life. When the protest reached the gate, they were stopped by sound grenades and teargas. Dozens suffered from gas inhalation.
Also, the head of the Middle East Committee in the European Parliament, Mr. Aristotelis Pavlides, along with Mr. Moheb Awad, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Mr. Walid Assaf, a member of the Fatah party visited the village yesterday. The delegation was welcomed by the head of Bili’n’s council, Mr. Ahmad Issa Yasin, Mr. Abdellah Abu Rahamah and Mohammad Abu Rahama gave a presentation about the wall and the village’s experience in resisting the occupation. The two Palestinian Legislative Council members gave a presentation about the political situation and the violations that Palestinians face on daily bases. The delegation promised to work on both sides, the Palestinian and the Israeli to reduce the suffering on the Palestinians and bring peace to the region.
For the past four years, the village of Bil’in has been protesting against the wall and settlement building. Today, another protest marched after the Friday prayer, joined by international and Israeli activists. The protest marked the 52nd anniversary of the massacre of Kifr Qasem and 91st of the Balfour Agreement. The protesters condemned these events and the Israeli occupation police. They also held the world, especially the US and Britain, accountable for the conditions that Palestinians live in and for their support of Israel in their colonialist plans in Palestine. The protesters raised the Palestinian flag and banners calling to end the Israeli occupation, stop settlement building, bombing civilian areas and assaulting Palestinian detainees.
The vice president of the European Parliament, Luisa Morgantini, joined the protest with one other parliamentarian, Chris Davis. The delegation showed solidarity with the residents of Bil’in in particular and the Palestinian people in general with their right to struggle against the Apartheid Wall and have freedom. The soldiers came through the gate, pushed Luisa Morgantini and Chris Davis who fell down to the ground.
When the protest reached the wall, the Israeli army closed the gate to stop the protesters from going through. The army fired sound grenades, tear gas canisters and rubber coated steel bullets at the protesters while they were trying to open the gate. Dozens suffered tear gas inhalation and seven were injured, two from France, Ponal and José, who was already injured the last time he participated. The other injured people are Mai-soon Azam from El-Arabyia Canal TV, Iyad Burnat, Adib Aburahma, Camel El-Khatib and ABdallah Aburahma.
A French delegation of the International Civil Campaign for the Protection of the Palestinian People (CCIPPP), another group from Belgium, Enseignants pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient (EPJPO), as well as a group from Nanterre, France, joined the protest today and also listened to a presentation by the Bil’in committee about the village’s struggle against the wall.
A music band from the USA, called Olive Trees Circus, played guitar, accordion, and sung for peace in the middle of the action.
The Popular Committee of Bil’in expressed their solidarity with the people of Gaza, and the appreciation of the efforts of the crew of the ship of hope in their attempt to break the siege.
Report by Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements
A protest was launched today (24th October)after the Friday prayer in Bil’in and was joined by international and Israeli activists to allow Palestinians to pick olives from the trees on their land.
A delegation of journalists and students from Belgium, Students For a Just Peace in the Middle East, joined the demonstration in solidarity with the village in their struggle against the Wall and settlement building. Another group from the Ireland Solidarity Movement with the Palestinian People joined in addition to this group, as well as groups from England and Denmark. Palestinian flags and banners were raised calling to remove the illegal wall and settlements, stop land confiscation, remove checkpoints and road blocks, the release of all of the Palestinian detainees and the halt of all the settlers’ violence against farmers during the olive harvest.
The demonstrators marched in the village chanting against the discriminatory policies of the occupation and calling for a national unity among the Palestinians, while they were carrying ladders and tools to pick olives. When the protest reached the gate, protesters tried to access the land to pick olives, but they were stopped by sound grenades and teargas canisters. Dozens suffered from gas inhalation.
A week ago, the protesters succeeded in removing a gate in the wall and are now using it in a parking lot for cars in the village. The Popular Committee said about this incident “Any tool that the occupation uses to oppress us, we will use it for our own services.” Palestinians have the determination and the belief that this wall will be removed.
Report from the Bil’in Committee Against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements
Friday 17 October 2008
After the Friday prayer, the residents of Bil’in gathered in a protest together with Israeli and international activists. A group from France called on French people to support the Palestinian People and another group from Norway joined the demonstration in solidarity with the village in their struggle against the Wall and settlement building.
The protesters raised Palestinian flags and banners to allow Palestinian farmers to pick olive trees from their land. The protest called to remove the illegal wall and settlements, stop land confiscations, remove checkpoints and road blocks, and the release of all the Palestinian detainees.
Another delegation from the National and International Affairs Department from the PLO visited the village to support the families with picking their olives. The members of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlement Building gave a presentation to the delegation. The head manager of the department, along with the head of the Information Department, Abed Alrasol, and Myassar the manager of Foreign Relations gave a plaque in an appreciation for the efforts and standing of the village and the committee against Israeli aggression. They offered Bil’in greetings and support from the head of the Department of International and Arab Relations in the PLO Ghassan Asheka.
The demonstrators chanted against the discriminatory policies of the occupation and called for a national unity among the Palestinians, while they carried ladders and tools to pick olives. When the protest reached the gate, protesters tried to access the land to pick olives, but they were stopped by sound grenades and teargas canisters. The demonstrators managed to damage and take off the gate to bring it to the village, near the monument of Yassir Arafat in the center of the village.
A delegation from the village along with international and Israeli activists joined the village of Almazra’a Alsharqiya and the neighboring villages to remove a road block that has been placed for 17 years near A’in Al-Haramiya area on the road between Nablus and Ramallah.
The International Human Rights Organization in Berlin announced the nomination of Bili’in Popular Committee Against the Wall in Ramallah and the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall for Carl Von Ossietzky’s prize 2008. Osseitzky was kidnapped and tortured in the Nazi prison camp (Soninburg), located near the Polish city of Slontnick because of his resistance against racism and war.
Bili’in Popular Committee Against the Wall in Ramallah and the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall were nominated because of their massive efforts in resisting the wall which violates human rights. The award ceremony will be held on October 7th at the House of World Cultures in Berlin. That date was chosen to mark the sixtieth anniversary of signing the International Declaration of Human Rights on 10th of October, 1948 in the UN General Assembly.
