On Friday, one week since Israeli soldiers killed Bil’in resident Bassem Abu Rahmeh during an anti-wall protest, Israeli and international activists marched once more alongside residents of Bil’in, Ni’ilin (near Ramallah) and al Ma’asara (near Bethlehem) in their weekly demonstrations against the wall.

In Bil’in, where Bassem was killed just a week earlier during a similar demonstration, hundreds of people participated in the village’s protest march against Israel’s wall. The march took place after the closing of the 4th Annual International Conference of Popular Resistance in Bil’in, held this year in Bassem’s memory. People assembled at the center of the village and marched in the direction of the separation barrier, with demonstrators carrying pictures of Bassem, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against the occupation and the wall.

As protesters reached the site of the separation barrier, Israeli troops stationed on the other side of the fence immediately (and with no stonethrowing or provocation) began to throw concussion grenades and fire teargas canisters at the crowd, followed by ample use of rubber-coated steel bullets. However, despite this unprovoked attack, participants still succeeded in building a small memorial for Bassem Abu Rahmeh near the gate of the separation barrier, where he was killed.

Demonstrators standing near the separation barrier, Bil'in

Some of Bil’in’s residents responded to the army’s assault with slingshots and stones, and during the confrontations which took place, around thirty demonstrators were injured, most of them from rubber-coated steel bullets, while dozens suffered from teargas inhalation. Among the injured were also an Israeli filmmaker and journalists from Reuters and Al-Haya newspaper. Later on, one Bil’in resident was detained by soldiers for several hours.

Luisa Morgantini, vice president of the EU Parliament, who took part in the conference as well as the protest march, stated, “We managed to build the memorial for Bassem Abu Rahmeh, in honor of his spirit. We will never forget him; he was a friend to everyone. We must continue the popular resistance which has begun to spread to the Jordan valley, al Ma’asara, Ni’lin, and Jayyous”.

Protester hit by rubber-coated steel bullet being evacuated, Bil'in

In Ni’ilin, around three hundred people attempted to march together after the Friday prayer. The crowd, however, managed to advance for only a few minutes before being violently dispersed, while still on Ni’ilin’s main street, by Israeli troops, who fired a barrage of teargas canisters at the marchers without any justification. A small number of protesters continued the march through the fields towards the wall, while the remaining demonstrators stayed inside the village, where confrontations were taking place between troops positioned on the outskirts of the village and some of Ni’ilin’s youth, who responded to the army’s presence and unprovoked attack with stones.

The few demonstrators who reached the site of the wall found themselves facing a pro-settler demonstration taking place on the other side of the separation barrier (still under construction), who were voicing their full support for the army’s violence. Palestinians faced the right wing demonstrators with flags and chants of “Racists go home!” and “Free Palestine!”, until the settlers and their supporters left the area, at which point people headed back into Ni’ilin.

Demonstrator kicking teargas canister on Ni'ilin's main street

By this time, soldiers were already inside the village, occupying the rooftop of a building, from which they fired large amounts of teargas canisters into the village. Confrontations between stonethrowers and Israeli troops continued inside Ni’ilin for several hours, resulting in a few light injuries, as well as a serious head injury when a young Palestinian was hit in his forehead by a teargas canister. As mentioned earlier, this comes just one week after soldiers killed a demonstrator in neighboring Bil’in by firing a teargas canister directly at him, a widespread practice which army spokesmen attempted to portray as an isolated error. It should also be noted that as the Red Crescent ambulance in Ni’ilin was evacuating the wounded person, soldiers fired teargas directly at the ambulance - yet another practice that has become commonplace among Israeli troops.

Residents of the village finally succeeded in driving the army out of Ni’ilin, and sporadic confrontations continued in the fields and among the olive tree plantations west of the village. A lone military jeep which ventured into the main street was forced to flee back to the army checkpoint at the entrance of Ni’ilin, under a shower of stones and paintbombs. Soldiers at the checkpoint then fired teargas canisters as well as a large number of rubber-coated steel bullets towards anyone standing on the main road. Shortly afterwards, four Palestinian men were spotted being held by a small group of soldiers just outside of the village, and many protesters advanced towards them, causing the soldiers to free the detained Palestinians and retreat. With the army out of sight, confrontations subsided.

Teargas fired deliberately by soldiers at ambulance during evacuation of injured protester, Ni'ilin

In al Ma’asara, a few dozen people took part in this week’s protest march against the Apartheid wall. Demonstrators began marching from the center of the village at noon, after the traditional Friday prayers, but protesters soon reached a spool of barbed wire blocking their path, stretched over the road by soldiers as a makeshift barrier designed to prevent anyone from marching on the village’s lands and getting near the separation barrier. Demonstrators attempted to walk around the barbed wire, while simultaneously some of the village’s residents managed to remove it altogether, however Israeli troops standing on the road prevented anyone from moving forward.

Young demonstrators attemping to push through a line of soldiers, al Ma'asara. Photo: AP/Nasser Shiyoukhi

Some speeches were made on the spot, in front of the soldiers, commemorating the murder of Bassem Abu Rahmeh as well as the 64th anniversary of the collapse of Fascism in Italy. After this, minor scuffles broke out as some of the demonstrators tried, once more, to carry on marching towards the wall, but were aggressively and violently pushed back by the Israeli troops. Soldiers furthermore threatened to arrest the organizers of the demonstration - ironically, considering their persistent and successful efforts to prevent violence and escalation. Finally, the protest march turned back towards the village and dispersed without arrests or injuries.