After Friday prayers in the West Bank village of Bil’in, dozens of Israelis, international supporters and Palestinian villagers marched toward the construction of the Israeli annexation Wall on villagers’ land.
As the march began nearing the Wall, the Israeli Army retreated, and the protestors managed to march to the construction site.
As the peace protestors entered the construction site, they began to pull at the iron used to construct the Wall. At that point, the Israeli Army fired tear gas and rushed the protestors. Most of the protestors scattered at that point and returned to the village.
After the protest had ended and the protestors had gone home, the Israeli army invaded Bil’in from the west, firing rubber bullets and tear gas. A number of Bil’in residents required medical treatment after inhaling gas, including people who were inside their homes. Three people were hit by rubber bullets and required medical treatment.
The Bil’in villagers and their supporters are preparing for a conference that will begin Monday at 9 am and last for two days, and will include the participation of a number of peace groups from Palestine, Israel and abroad. The focus of the conference will be on the non-violent resistance against the Wall and Occupation, and discuss strategies for continuing the non-violent movement. Hundreds of Israelis and international supporters are expected to participate, along with local residents.
The conference will involve lectures and workshops, and will include both residents of Bil’in and peace activists from other villages that have engaged in non-violent resistance to the Wall. On the second day of the conference, participants will plant olive trees in the area behind the Israeli Annexation Wall to replace some of those that have been destroyed by Israeli forces.
