Special Christmas demonstrations have taken place in Bil'in, Ma'asara and Shiekh Jarakh. A regular demonstration in Ni'lin, a new location of protest in Shukba, and general solidarity with Bil'in popular committee member Abdallah Abu-Rahme, who was this week brought to trial for exposing the army's methods of oppresion against the popular struggle.

This Friday some 400 protesters participated in a march from the center of Jerusalem towards the nieghborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in east Jerusalem. The police did not grant a permit for the march and the participants hence decided to divide into smaller groups and regroup at the entrance to the nieghrbohood. Although the demonstration was (as per usual) non-violent, twenty seven protesters were arrested and detained for 24 hours.

Sheikh Jarrah

At Wednesday night, seven Israeli military jeeps pulled over at Abdullah Abu Rahmah's residence in the city of Ramallah. Soldiers raided the house and arrested Abu Rahmah from his bed in the presence of his wife and children. Abu Rahmah is a high school teacher in the Latin Patriarchate School in Birzeit near Ramallah and is the coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements. Following the arrest – a solidarity demonstration was held in Tel-Aviv Thursday evening.

At Friday, five demonstrations against the wall and the settlements were held in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, Ma'asara, Shuqba & Shiekh Jarrah. As 23 demonstrators were arrested in the Sheikh Jarrah demonstration, a seventh demonstration was held in front of the Jerusalem court.

Ni'ilin

This Friday in Ni'ilin, some 150 Palestinian, International, and Israeli protesters, gathered in a demonstration against the annexation of the village's land and the wall surrounding it. The protesters marched towrad the the gate in the wall (through which soldiers enter when raiding the village), and urged the soldiers on the other side to refuse to serve, reminding them that they are standing on a stolen land. In response, the soldiers shot tear gas at the protesters, as well as  0.22 live bullets (two-two), hitting one protester in the hip.

While the Ma'asara demonstrators took this Friday off in light of the Muslim Eid al Adha, and the people of Ni'lin choose to postpone their demonstration by a day, Bil'in residents decided to celebrate their holiday by holding a festive demonstration...

As in so many weeks before, the three Friday demonstrations were also held today. The villages of Bilin, Ma'asara & Ni'ilin carry on their extraordinary struggle, holding on against huge forces trying to break it (& them).