Tag: Ni’lin

Protesters forced to retreat at peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin

22nd April 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

*Young Palestinian protester carrying a tyre with the Apartheid wall in the background*

On April 21st a crowd of Palestinian protesters, joined by international and Israeli activists, gathered for the weekly demonstration in Ni’lin. The peaceful demonstration began after Friday prayer, with the protesters marching to the Apartheid Wall built at the expense of hundreds of dunums of what once was the town’s farmland.

Local demonstrators set fire to tyres along the wall and waved Palestinians flags, while one was dressed as a Palestinian prisoner, a clear nod to the Palestinian Prisoners’ week of action and a show of solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners.

Israeli forces stationed close to the wall did not respond but, similarly to what had happened the previous week, some soldiers were already hiding among the olive groves and in the mountains next to the village, surrounding the protesters and forcing them to run back into the village, not long after the demonstration started.

*Israeli soldiers made their way into the olive groves close to the village in order to surround the protesters and force their retreat*

This week’s protest was the first one after Muhammad Amira, also known as Abu Nasser, was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet on his head and then arrested under the claim that he was throwing stones. Soldiers prevented Palestinians, and even the paramedics stationed at the local from approaching him. Amira is a prominent activist from Ni’lin and has been the one leading the popular protests there since 2007. He’s currently under detention, Israel has yet to press charges against him.

*Muhammad Amira during weekly demonstration in Ni’lin, 7th April 2017*

Peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin met with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets

8th April 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

*Palestinian protester initiates the weekly protest in Ni’lin*

On April 7th Israeli forces repressed a demonstration in Ni’lin, during which soldiers fired tear gas and a rubber-coated steel bullet into the crowd of Palestinian protesters as well as Israeli and international activists.

The demonstration began Friday afternoon after the prayer, where Palestinian protesters, joined by Israeli and international activists, went to the Apartheid wall outside of the town of Ni’lin. Around 20 minutes after the protest erupted, Israeli forces began firing several tear gas canisters across the wall from an army vehicle. Two more army vehicles eventually came to join the first, all of them firing teargas canisters simultaneously.

*IOF started shooting tear gas at protesters*

Protesters backed away from the wall when an Israeli soldier fired rubber-coated steel bullets directly into the crowd.

The firing of teargas went on for approximately half an hour, with protesters responding by throwing rocks towards the wall.

The demonstration was then repressed and protesters forced to flee when the IOF opened a gate in the wall, allowing an army vehicle to chase the protesters away from the scene.
None were reported injured during the protest.

Ni’lin remembers Rachel Corrie and Tristan Anderson

17th March 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

Today on 17/03/2017 the residents of Ni’lin alongside internationals and Israeli activists held a demonstration in memory of Rachel Corrie and Tristan Anderson, against the apartheid wall and against the occupation of Palestine.

A parade of around fifty demonstrators, including Israeli and ISM activists, marched from the olive groves outside the town towards the apartheid wall. Palestinian demonstrators carried flags and placards depicting ISM activists Tristan Anderson, critically injured after being shot in the head with a long range tear gas missile by Israeli forces at the same demonstration eight years ago; and Rachel Corrie, who was murdered by the Israeli forces fourteen years ago yesterday.

Local demonstrators set fire to tyres along the wall, waving flags and chanting at the illegal Israeli settlement located on their lands beyond, whilst Israeli activists called across using a megaphone. The Israeli Forces arrived shortly after, firing teargas over the apartheid wall and setting off sound grenades. Obscured by the smoke from the burning tyres, soldiers took photographs and fired some rubber-coated metal bullets at the protesters whilst the volleys of teargas continued. Young local men sent stones and teargas canisters back over the apartheid wall with their slingshots. The demonstrators ended by moving up the hill and back towards the town, having suffered no injuries.

The non-violent demonstrations against the apartheid wall and the occupation in Ni’lin have been going on weekly since 2008, as attempt to get back the farm land which was stolen from the villagers. Despite deaths, critical injuries and much repression the resistance continues.

Israeli forces cause fires at Ni’lin weekly protest

25th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwarra team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

The non-violent demonstrations against the illegal occupation of Palestine and the Apartheid Wall in in the West Bank village of Ni’lin have been going on weekly since 2008, as an attempt to get back the land and the fields, that was stolen from the villagers.

This past week, before the demonstration began, as Palestinians gathered for the Friday prayer in the olive grove just outside the village, Israeli forces aggressively intervened, detonating a sound grenade close to the Palestinians. The Palestinians still managed to finish their prayer and the protesters, including Palestinians, Israeli and international activists, began walking down the road running through the olive trees and down towards the Apartheid Wall. After walking about 50 meters, the protesters were blocked by more than ten Israeli soldiers and border police, commanding that the Palestinians return to the village, and telling them they were not allowed to be on their land.

A longer stand off followed. Protesters would argue with the Israeli forces that they have the right to peacefully protest the illegal occupation and theft of their land. As a response, the occupation forces started pushing the protesters further back towards the village. The protesters left the road and walked through the olive plantations in order to get past the soldiers and exercise their right to walk through their lands to reach the Wall. Again, even before the wall was in sight of the participants in the peaceful march, the Israeli forces intervened, and this time opened fire with teargas bringing the demonstration to a halt.

When the protesters still didn’t disperse and return to the village, the Israeli forces increased the use of teargas, firing it both from their guns and from an attachment from an armed military jeep, which is able to fire multiple canisters at once. They also used robber coated steel bullets and one Israeli solidarity activist got hit on her hand, leaving it very swollen.

At a time when fires rage across Israel, and Palestinians are being accused of starting these fires, the very hot teargas canisters from this protest caused multiple fires across the village olive fields. One olive tree got burned, and as the demonstration came to an end, the villagers were awaiting fire trucks to put out the fires.

Village invasion at Ni’lin weekly demonstration

11th November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

On 11th November, international activists joined Palestinian villagers in Ni’lin for their weekly demonstration against the apartheid wall that runs through their land. One week ago at the demonstration, a Palestinian youth was shot in the head with a rubber coated metal bullet by the Israeli military. The subsequent clashes with the Israeli military resulted in the latter invading part of the village and targeting peoples houses with tear gas and rubber coated metal bullets.

15058536_731608533654866_1139227757_n — Israeli forces jeeps with tear-gas mounted on top of the jeeps

Today, Palestinian protesters and international activists, started off to walk towards the apartheid wall. Before reaching the wall, heavily armed Israeli forces formed a block, stopping the demonstration from reaching it. During discussion with the protesters the Israeli military starting firing stun grenades.

After this clashes began with Israeli forces firing tear gas from both guns and armed jeeps. Many of the tear gas cannisters were fired at head hight, a very dangerous tactic which has resulted in serious injury and death in the past. The Palestinians responded against this force by throwing stones.

As the demonstration got pushed closer to the village, the Israeli forces changed ammunition to high velocity rubber bullets alongside tear gas. One bullet passed just a few centimetres above the heads of one of the internationals and a Red Crescent First Responder, impacting the branch of an olive-tree.

High velocity tear gas canister shot at civilians by the Israeli forces

The Israeli military invaded the village, firing rubber coated metal bullets, a large amount of tear gas, and throwing sound bombs into the residential area. This type of invasion places many lives at risk and is collective punishment against the villagers. Whilst documenting the army’s invasion, another international activist had a rubber coated metal bullet closely passing them on a street inside the village.

Although there were no injuries in this demonstration, multiple people suffered from tear gas inhalation.