Bil’in residents, along with international and Israeli peace activists conducted their weekly peaceful protest against the Separation Wall in Bil’in by marching towards a construction site and planting olive treas. Soldiers attacked the protestors and fired rubber-coated bullets and gas bombs at them, five residents, and two Israeli activists were injured.
Abdullah Abu Rahma, coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, informed the IMEMC that 400 protestors, including Israelis and internationals, marched towards a construction site carrying Olive nurslings in order to plant them, and chanted slogans against the Wall and calling for the release of the members of the Christian Peace Maker team, who were abducted in Iraq.
“As we were marching, some 200 meters before the construction site, soldiers fired gas bombs, and demanded us to stop”, Abu Rahma said, “some protestors attempted to reach the construction site, and were harshly attacked by the soldiers”.
Two children, identified as Wi’am Bornat, 14, and Mohammad Mustafa Al Khateeb, 15, in addition to a resident identified as Wajdi Eshtiyya, were injured after the soldiers attacked and clubbed them.
Also, two residents identified as Fadi Washa, and Yassin Mohammad Yassin, in addition to two Israeli activists, Yuval Ayalon and Nier Shaliv, were injured.
John Doughart, the UN Special Envoy for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, was visiting Bil’in and met with officials of its village council, who informed him on the negative effects of the Wall, and the lands annexed for its construction.
Doughart, who witnessed how the army uses excessive force and fires at the peaceful protestors, intends to file a report to the United Nations on the situation in Palestine and the Israeli violations.
