On Friday afternoon, anti-Wall protests were organized in the villages of Bil’in, Nil’in and an-Nabi Saleh, in the central West Bank, as well as al-Ma’sara in the south. Three were injured and dozens were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.In an-Nabi Saleh, three protesters were injured when troops attacked the weekly protest. Villagers were joined by international and Israeli supporters in a march toward land confiscated by Israel for settlement construction.
The Israeli army sealed off the village and stopped the protesters from reaching the land, and when protestors reached the soldiers stationed at the entrance, the soldiers fired tear gas directly at them.
Hilmi at-Tamimi was hit in the leg with a tear gas canister, Mustafa at-Tamimi was hit in the leg with a rubber-coated steel bullet and moved to an injury, and Bassem at-Tamimi was lightly injured when he fell as he was chased back to the village. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation and the protests ended with clashes between local youth and Israeli troops.
In the nearby village of Bil’in, international and Israeli supporters joined the villagers after the midday prayers and marched up to the gate of the wall separating villagers from their land.
Soldiers stationed at the gate attacked people with tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. In the village of Nil’in, Israeli and international supporters also marched with villagers after midday prayers to the wall. A number of protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In al-Ma’sara village, in the southern West Bank, the weekly protest march ended with no injuries as Israeli troops suppressed the non-violent demonstration within an hour. No injuries other than tear gas inhalation were reported in the central West Bank villages of Ni’lin and Bil’in.
At the Bil’in protest, organizers announced the upcoming 6th Annual Bil’in Conference on the Palestinian Popular Struggle on April 21 – 23 in Bil’in, and encouraged international and Israeli supporters to join their Palestinian counterparts in Bil’in to discuss strategy and plan next steps by the non-violent anti-Wall movement.
