Two civilians were injured as dozens suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked the weekly anti wall protest at the village of Bil’in, central West Bank.
As has been the case for the past five years, villagers were joined by Israeli and international supporters and marched, after the midday prayers, towards the lands Israeli took to built the wall.
As soon as the protesters reached the gate of the wall separating farmers from their lands troops stationed their fired tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets at them.
Two local youths, Mohamed Hamad, 18 years old, and 15 year old Mohamed Abu Rahmah, were lightly wounded by rubber coated steel bullets, dozens were treated for tear gas inhalation.
The Palestinian Minister of Culture, Siham al-Barghouthi, joined the protest on Friday at the village of Bil’in.
Two year ago, a combination of the villagers continued protest and legal proceedings managed to get the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice to order a halt to the wall construction.
The court ruled for a re-routing of the wall section built on Bil’in’s land. Due to the ruling, the villagers got back 275 of the 600 acres Israel was going to use to build the wall.
In February, after two years of stalling, the Israeli military started to re-route the wall as ordered by the court. Still the army refuses villagers free access to their lands.
