Several protesters were treated for the effects of teargas inhalation after Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall and Settlements in Bil’in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.Dozens of local residents, Israeli and international peace activists, in addition to a delegation from Norway participated, in the protest.
The protesters marched from the center of the village towards the Israeli apartheid wall carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against the illegal Israeli Wall, the illegal settlements and Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.
As the protesters arrived at the Abu Lemon area, close to the Wall, a number of protesters managed to remove sections of the barbed-wire, while soldiers stationed behind the concrete Wall fired gas bombs, rubber-coated metal bullets, and also prayed the protesters with water mixed with chemicals. Dozens of protesters, in addition to villages picking their olive trees, were treated by field medics.
A number of youths responded by throwing stones at the soldiers.
Members of the visiting Norwegian delegation were informed about, and witnessed, the abuse and harassment carried out by Israeli soldiers and settlers against the villagers, their orchards and farmlands.
Also on Friday, two young men were injured, one in the back and the other in his leg, when Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets and gas bombs at nonviolent protesters in Nabi Saleh village, near Ramallah.
Protesters marched today in solidarity with the Palestinian political prisoners and farmers who are under constant attacks by settlers.
Army stopped the march at the village entrance and fired rubber-coated steel bullets as well as tear gas and chemical water at protesters injuring the two young men. Later troops invaded the village and fired tear gas at residents’ homes. Many, mostly children, suffered effects of tear gas inhalation.
At the nearby village of Nil’in soldiers attacked the protest as soon at reached the annexation wall with tear gas.
The protest ended with clashes between local youth and troops; four civilians were slightly injured due to the soldiers attack among them one German man.
Soldiers also attacked nonviolent protesters in the Al-Ma’sara village, near Bethlehem, and forced anti wall protesters back into the village using rifle-buts and batons, no injuries were reported.
On Saturday, approximately at 2 a.m. the army invaded Bil’in village, broke into and searched several homes before handing one resident a military order to head to the nearest security base for interrogation.
