Shortly after 2:30am, the Israeli occupation forces invaded the village of Bil’in again with five Jeeps and a military truck. They came to arrest Hamaza Burnat (age 16) but he was not at home at the time. This was the second time this week that the Israeli Army raided his house.
Bil’in is a small village of 1,700 inhabitants near Ramallah in the West Bank. For nearly three months now, the Israeli occupation forces have been conducting night raids several times a week in this village arresting more than 20 people, mainly teenagers.
On behalf of Iyad Burnat, the Head of the Popular Committee, we call on all the supporters to help us in our struggle by organizing demonstrations and sending messages to the Israeli Embassies demanding to stop these night raids in Bil’in. Our children cannot sleep at night because of sound bombs and tear gas being fired by the invading forces. This village is under curfew, we need all your help to be able to lead a normal life again.
Hundreds of Palestinian villagers have made a short but symbolic march to the separation wall that Israel has built on their land, a non-violent protests that they regularly undertake.
Equally, the protesters, marching from the village of Bilin, are regularly met with a violent response from the Israeli army.
“The village of Bilin is literally on the frontline of Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land and the construction of its separation barrier,” Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera’s correspondent reporting from the village, said.
“Later today the villagers of Bilin will protest the fact that not only they, but also five neighbouring villages, have lost their land which has been seized to build an Israeli settlement.
“This huge settlement will result in 40,000 Jewish settlers living on occupied land here in the West Bank and as Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu is planning to give the go ahead for even more of these settlement homes to be built,” she said.
Netanyahu is set to approve plans to build hundreds of new homes on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, before considering US demands for a construction freeze.
Two photographers were lightly injured during a demonstration on Friday against the separation fence near the West Bank village of Na’alin. One of the injured was noted Israeli artist David Reeb. The other was Palestinian photographer Muhammad Amira.
About 250 Israelis and Palestinians attended the Na’alin demonstration. A smaller protest was held in the nearby village of Bilin.
Protesters began throwing rocks at Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Border Police forces, who responded by firing rubber-tipped bullets and teargas grenades. Protesters said yesterday the IDF used live munitions as well.
Reeb, who has attended the protests since they began, four years ago, had surgery to remove shrapnel from his leg and was set to be discharged from hospital today. He said yesterday he did not believe the soldiers were targeting him.
“I think I was hit by a bullet that ricocheted off the ground,” he said. “They shot much more than usual this Friday, and sometimes aimed directly at people.”
Reeb has been hurt in the protests twice before but this was the first time his injuries were serious enough to require hospitalization and surgery.
Reeb said he will return to the village next Friday. “These villages’ land is being robbed, and it’s important to keep reporting this and supporting them,” he said.
Also yesterday, al-Jazeera aired footage of its reporter at the scene coming under tear gas fire from a Border Police unit.
Once again the residents of Ni’lin went out to protest against the Wall Israel has build on there land. The protesters were met by tear gas, stinky water, rubber coated steal bullets and live ammunition. Two people were hit with live ammunition and another two with rubber coated steal bullets. Many suffered from tear gas inhalation
Ni'lin resident climbs atop the concrete Wall to place a Palestinian flag
At one o’clock, after the weekly Friday prayer, residents of Ni’lin joined by Israeli and international activists went out to protest against the illegal Apartheid Wall Israel has build on their land. The people went chanting and carrying Palestinian flags out in their olive groves, expressing their rights to their land. They managed to reach the 8 meter high concrete wall and on spot tires were put on fire and a Palestinian flag put on top the wall. With long poles, the demonstrators manages tried to push the wall. The protesters were spread out along the Wall and attacked from the Israeli armed forces with tear gas and the “stinky water”. Some of the attending young men responded with throwing stones towards the soldiers.
After four o’clock about 7 jeeps quickly entered through the wall and started to chase the protesters away from the wall toward the village, close to the new school. The Israeli armed forces shot a lot of live towards the demonstrators. Around 5 o’clock, in the fields close to the village two persons were simultaneously hit from a very short range, 20 m. David Reeb, a well known Israeli artist and filmmaker, was shot in his thigh and taken to an Israeli hospital. Also one Palestinian man, Hammod Sa’eed Amereeh, a local filmmaker, was shot in his foot.
On ground, receiving help from the paramedics the soldiers continued to attack the injured people and the medics who tried to give them first aid and made it harder for them to quickly move David and Hammoud to the ambulance.
The army continued to shot more live ammunition and rubber coated steal bullets and in the end two more people where shot, this time with rubber coated steal bullet.
Israeli forces frequently raid Bil'in during the night
Around 2:30am, the Israeli occupation forces invaded Bil’in again. They raided two houses but no arrests were made.
They raided the house where Khamse Yaseen (age 16) lives and attempted to arrest him, but he was not at home at the time. They also raided the house where Yaseen Mohammed Ali Yaseen (age 21) lives but could not find him either.
During the raid at both houses, Palestinian and international activists challenged the soldiers standing guard outside. They were told that they were in a “closed military area,” were not allowed to film, and that they had to go home. Since the photographer, Hamde Abu Rahma, who showed his Press ID, continued to take photos, the soldiers pointed the guns at him and chased after him at some point.
After intense arguing on both sides, the soldiers eventually retreated having not succeeded in arresting the wanted men. As the leaving Jeeps were surrounded by Palestinian and international activists, the soldiers threw several sound bombs to disperse them. The Jeeps then exited the village, driving towards the Apartheid Wall without any victims.
