July 13th, 2007. 100’s of internationals, Israelis and Palestinians marched against the apartheid wall which has annexed over 50% of the village of Bil’in’s land on Friday. As usual the demonstration was met with Repression from the Israeli Occupation Forces. Three injuries were reported, an unidentified French activist suffered from severe tear gas inhalation, Iyad burnat suffered a burnt hand, which was burnt by a tear gas cannister hitting his hand and Mustafa Khatib suffered from tear gas inhalation resulting in him passing out and having to be carried to the back of the demonstrations by medical personnel.
Tag: Bil’in
Bil’in: 2 Israeli Demonstrators Arrested
By the ISM Media Team
June 29th 2007. Many internationals and Israelis joined today the Palestinian residents of the village of Bil’in in their weekly demonstration against the Apartheid Wall and the occupation – and of course in solidarity with Iyad Bornat, who has been arrested since the previous demonstration. As usual, the peaceful demonstrators, among them many children, chanting and holding Palestinian flags, tried to reach the Wall/Fence.
Credit: Emad Bornat
As soon as the first demonstrators arrived at the point of the road where the soldiers had put barbed wire, the soldiers started to shoot tear gas canisters at them. Because of the amount of tear gas, the direction of the wind and the high temperature, the majority of the demonstrators were forced to step back. Two Palestinians, an Israeli and three Internationals managed to stay at the area despite the soldiers bombardment of teargas. A teargas canister nearly hit one of the internationals in the leg.
An Israeli demonstrator, former soldier of Golani battalion, was in the front talking for a long time to the soldiers, through a huge cloud of gas. A Palestinian member of the Popular Committee of Bil’in and an international tried to extinguish a small fire caused by the gas canisters. A few more internationals and Palestinians managed to reach the area. But finally the soldiers attacked the peaceful demonstrators with gas and sound bombs, and they arrested the Israeli demonstrator. Later we were informed that there was also an Israeli woman arrested.
The demonstrators tried several times to step forward again, but they were dispersed with teargas and rubber bullets. Palestinian residents of Bil’in, some of them children, also faced the same treatment while there were trying to collect the gas canisters.
Video: Arrest of Head of Bilin popular committee
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A Video of the arrest of Iyad Burnat,head of the popular committee in Bil’in, During the demonstration against the annexation barrier on the 22 of June. Iyad was injured by teargas, when a couple of soldiers ran to him and arrested him for no apparent reason. He was taken for questioning in Shaar Binyamin police station, and from there to Ofer prison. An officer remanded his arrest by 4 days, which are very likely to become 8, after which they will have to bring him in front of a judge if they want to keep him. Attorney Gaby Laski will filed an urgent request for his release.
Bil’in: Excessive Aggression by IOF against demonstrators continues
By the ISM Media Team
At 1:30 on the 22nd June 2007, Palestinian, Israeli and international activists gathered together for the 124th demonstration against the Apartheid Wall being built and the expansion and occupation of the nearby illegal Settlement of Mode’in Illit. The demonstration began with chanting in both Arabic and English by the demonstrators as they marched to where the wall has been built. Both peaceful and civil, the demonstrators were initially met with quiet from the approximately 20 soldiers who were stood around twenty meters from a section of barbed wire lying in the road to restrict access. The demonstrators initially held their position at the barbed wire, chanting and shouting, however after a period of relative calm from the Israeli soldiers, they suddenly started firing sound grenades and tear gas at demonstrators who had been peacefully protesting against the wall and settlement. Some demonstrators were only ten meters away from the army with hands raised to show peace and non-violence, when they began to fire the sound grenades and the tear gas. It was clear from these gestures that the demonstrators had come without violence; however the Israeli army chose to deliberately ignore this. The demonstrators made efforts to retreat back to a safe distance however the Israeli military continued to fire sound grenades and tear gas canisters at the protestors. Many demonstrators were still holding their hands in the air and walking away from the soldiers however the soldiers continued to fire at them. A Canadian lady, known as Beth was walking away from soldiers at this time when she was shot in the back of her leg with a tear gas canister. The Israeli army showed complete disregard for demonstrators who were retreating or people not directly involved in the demonstration.
The IDF continued to move forward along the road despite the retreat by the demonstrators and they continued to fire rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas and sound grenades. When a group of six female Palestinian and international activists attempted to confront the IDF over the use of violence against children, they were met with aggression and physical violence at one point attempting to arrest a Palestinian lady whose only crime was to voice her opinion. Children as young as ten were being targeted by the IDF with rubber coated steel bullets for throwing stones at heavily armored military jeeps. Attempts were made by activists to defend the children, yet soldiers continued to fire and forcibly hit, pushed and dragged female activists for their attempts to prevent the violence. The Soldiers had complete disregard for the activists who were acting without violence and continued to fire despite a HRW being directly infront of the soldier. It was with only good fortune that the HRW was not hit.
During the protest two further Palestinians were arrested, one of whom, Iyad Burnat of the popular committee is still being held. He was detained initially by two soldiers without apparent reason. He has since been shown photo’s of a man throwing stones, which the soldiers have claimed was him, despite this not being the case. He is currently in Offer prison awaiting a trial.
(Video) Building Palestinian Economic Independence
by George S. Rishmawi,
footage by Kathy Kamp, AFSC
George S. Rishmawi is a co-founder and coordinator of Siraj, the Palestinian Center for Holy Land Studies and one of the founders of the International Solidarity Movement. He is a board member of the Network of Christian Organizations in Bethlehem. Siraj is organizing a network of bicycle clubs in the West Bank and environmental hiking programs for Palestinian and international young people. Originating in Beit Sahour, a town famous for its nonviolent struggle in the First Intifada, Rishmawi is a life-long peace activist.
In this talk, he discusses how to promote economic independence by supporting Palestinian crafts and building Palestinian-led tourism. He gave this talk 19 April 2007 at the Bil’in International Nonviolence Conference.