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In spite of protester murder the weekly demonstrations still go on.
15/06/2009
Last Friday, once again, demonstrators gathered in the village of Bil'in for the weekly protest against the wall and the settlements. Some 80 Palestinians were joined by roughly the same number of Israelis and internationals, including the Code Pink delegation from the USA, who have completed a week of activity in Israel-Palestine against the occupation and againt the siege on Gaza. The delegation reached the villaged earlier that day and met with the leaders of the popular committee, who told the delegetaion of the history of the struggle, and breifed them on how to deal with the forseen army violence in the demonstration.
A little after noon, once the Friday prayer was over, demonstrators left the village centre towards the illegal fence built on village lands, chanting slogans against the occupation and inviting US president Obama to come and see Israel's actions on the ground. The prosetion carried on in a steady and organized fashion until it reached the gate in the fence, where demonstrators held up their hands, calling upon the soldiers not to shoot upon the unarmed action against an illegal fence, branded such even by the Israeli High Court. In response the soldiers fired countless tear gas canisters, forcing most of the demonstrators to fall back.
The demonstration, however, went on for another hour, as some people tried to reason with the soldiers but were met with no more than tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. In one location a group of Israelis managed to make its way to the fence itself, and turned to the soldiers face-to-face. These, however, refused to talk to demonstratos.
Other than tear gas inhalation, none were seriously wounded.
Only one week after the murder of Akel Srur by an Isreali border police sniper in the village of Nilin more than 150 demonstrators participated in the weekly demonstration in the village of Nilin in the west bank, Palestine. Shortly after reaching the fence the army started shooting tear gas on the demonstrators. As a result of the army violence, clashes started between the stone throwers and the army but as long as usual and with out any injuries. After the demonstration ended, some people marched to the place where Aqel Srur was murdered by an army sniper week a go.
At al-Ma'sara Dozens of Palestinians, joined by Israeli and international sympathizers, marched , protesting against the Apartheid Wall being built by Israel and the continued expansion of settlements. Carrying a large Palestinan flag, the prostesters marched right up to the razor wire which the Israeli Occupying Forces used to block the exit road from te village. About 25 armed soldiers faced the protesters, who stood just a metre across from them. Many of the speakers mourned the death of Aqel Sroor, who was killed last Friday by the Israeli Occupation forces in the West Bank village of Ni'lin during a demonstration against the Wall."He was defending his rights as a human being," said Awad Abu-Swai in a speech to the gathering. "His defence was consistent with the law, unlike the occupation." Abu-Swai hoped that a lawsuit would prove a peaceful way of returning the land to the Palestinians. "Injustice, power and oppression will come to an end, but love, peace and humanity will last forever", he said to applause. An Israeli activist addressed the soldiers directly in Hebrew. "Does this village look rich?" he asked. "These people need this land, these trees. Is it moral to take people's land?" A village woman, Fatema Muhammed's mother, followed him with a message of defiance. "We come in peace, we want to live in peace," she shouted at the soldiers across the wire. "We come empty-handed in front of armed men but we have no fear, because justice is on our side."
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Ms. Fatema then led the crowd in a chant of "Yes we can!" invoking the hope that U.S. president Obama can persuade Israel to stop the settlement expansions.Following the speeches, some protesters tried to open the wires and pass through. One woman, a grandmother of three, almost made it past, cutting her hands on the wire in the process. She pointed up the hill to the ruins of her house, destroyed four years ago by Occupying Forces. "This is my land, my place, my country," she said. The demonstration dispersed peacefully, but with words of warning. "This wall will not give you safety," one speaker said to the soldiers. "Look at every occupation in history. What did the people do?"
