On Friday Palestinian villagers from Bilin village near the central west bank city of Ramallah along with international and Israeli peace activists conducted the weekly non-violent demonstration against the wall in the village.
The main focus point of today's demonstration was the impending construction of a Jewish synagogue on land stolen from Palestinian residents near Al Aqsa Mosque in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. Demonstrators also carried signs bearing slogans denouncing the continuous attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians and Palestinian owned land.
The demonstration started in the village and proceeded to the gate in the wall, where Israeli soldiers were waiting for the demonstrators. The army commander there ordered the demonstrators to disperse, an order they didn't follow.
Immediately, Israeli forces showered the non-violent peaceful demonstrators with tear gas, sound bombs and metal rubber-coated bullets. At the same time a group of Israeli soldiers took over two Palestinian houses and positioned themselves on the rooftops that overlooked the demonstration and in doing so prevented the two families from leaving their houses.
Eight people were injured in the demonstration today in Bilin, including two journalists and one child. The two journalists were identified as Mustafa Khapisa, working for Ramatan News, and Jason Burnat, a British journalist.
