You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Bil’in’ category.
The protests against Israel’s Apartheid Wall in Bil’in village have been on-going for over 2 years now. In the five or so I’ve joined, the Israeli military machine has unleashed a violence truly disproportionate to the circumstances.
Some will say that stone-throwing from earlier protests set the precedent for the barrage of tear gas, rubber bullets, live bullets, sound bombs, and beating, kicking and arrests the majority of demonstrations entail. It is remarkable that such a pretext is accepted and used to justify this brutality, a stupefying force used against unarmed protesters–including children, minors, and the elderly– long before any stones might be thrown.
On numerous occasions, I have been part of protests which arrive face to face with the fully-armed Israeli forces. After one such close-up, in which demonstrators had the opportunity to speak to (but not be answered by) the soldiers–nonetheless soldiers minutes later threw sound bombs and tear gas in our faces.
**Me in cloud of tear gas Israeli soldier threw at us when the mob of Israeli soldiers could not abduct the Bil’in villager they were trying to abduct. [photo credit: Iyad]
In the above images, the Israeli army was attempting to abduct Adeeb, one of Bil’in’s villagers, believing that if they can abduct those perceived as protest leaders, the protests will stop. But the village is behind the protests, because Israel has stolen their land and routinely abuses them. Abducting one, two, or ten or more perceived leaders won’t stop the protests.
When the Israeli forces attempt to abduct a villager, we would lock onto the person to prevent, if possible, abduction. In the above case, we prevented Adeeb from being abducted. However, the pile of people landed on top of me, one of the Israeli soldiers that mobbed us was kicking my head, and eventually they gave up, backed away, and lobbed a tear gas canister at the pile of us.
The day after last Friday’s protest, I got a call from a Palestinian friend, concerned.
“I saw you on the news, holding onto a Palestinian man, with other activists, keeping the soldiers from taking him. You must be careful, they are very violent and no one will stop them.“
But this is the problem, isn’t it? No one does stop them. Palestinians, out of the view of cameras and observing eyes, are routinely taken, beaten, detained or arrested for from hours to days to months.
This same friend is still waiting for the legal system to try the murderer of his 10 year old daughter, shot in the back of the head with a rubber-coated steel bullet by an Israeli soldier just 6 months ago. He recently received the news from that despite eye-witnesses, there was not enough evidence to pursue the case in Israeli courts and that it would be closed.
In the span of just over two months, I have been witness to some of the many attempts at non-violently marching on Palestinian land at the village of Bil’in , west of Ramallah. The military reaction to each of the 5 protests I have participated in has been a swift suffocation—literally, with lung-choking, blinding and debilitating tear gas—of what has each time been wholly non-violent marching, cheering, and singing by an array of old and young, Palestinian, Israeli, and international participants, all calling for an end to the Apartheid Wall (aka “security fence”), and an end to the Occupation. It has been only after having marched without weapons to an Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arbitrarily-designated line on Palestinian land which marks a closed military zone (with the sole purpose of preventing marchers from accessing the Wall), and after having crossed this line (or just been too near it) and having the tear gas festival begin, after being hounded by Israeli soldiers and Israeli border police and all of the lovely US-supplied ammunition that go with them, that any rock throwing actually begins.
Today’s non-violent protest saw over 300 Israeli (~25), Palestinian, and international (over 100) supporters walk, unarmed as usual, from central Bil’in village towards the Israeli Apartheid Wall, which steals nearly 60% of Bil’in villagers’ vital agricultural land. Despite numerous attempts by the IOF at quashing the marchers’ demonstration, protesters re-grouped repeatedly to continue to march on Palestinian land towards the Apartheid Wall, also on and dividing Palestinian land. Marching thus, they faced repeated firing of tear gas, sound bombs, and rubber and live bullets. At least 7 were injured, including regular Palestinian activist from Bil’in, who was hit in the head near his eye with a rubber-coated steel bullet, resulting in a significant loss of blood, and long-time Israeli activist JP, who was wounded in the arm. Wheelchair-bound, another regular Bil’in activist was hit by a tear gas canister which rebounded, landing in his lap clouding him with dangerous amounts of debilitating tear gas at close range. Paralyzed in one hand, he was able to flick away the hazardous canister but suffered further as a second rolled towards him.
The excessive firing of tear gas at the peaceful protesters inevitably results in numerous fires among the olive trees, as was the case today with at least 3 potentially serious fires and other smaller flames breaking out. Marchers rushed to extinguish the flames, using branches and their feet to beat and smother flames before they spread. Due to winds, lack of water, and the chaos of the situation, it is common for these fires to quickly escalate and burn the many olive trees spread across the arid land belonging to Bil’in villagers.
In spite of having been assaulted repeatedly with seriously incapacitating and lethal tear gas, sound bombs and bullets, protesters persevered, again and again making efforts to walk on the land being held hostage by the IOF, using such non-violent tactics as singing, sit-ins, walking with arms raised to indicate they held no weapons, and attempting dialogue with the attacking IOF soldiers.
Although the International Court of Justice 3 years ago ruled Israel’s Apartheid Wall illegal and called for the cessation of its construction, along with reparations and compensation to Palestinians affected by it, Israel continues to build this monstrosity, annexing more and more Palestinian land, demolishing homes, and further oppressing Palestinians in its expansionist, land-grabbing quest for “security.”
In stark contrast to recent CNN one-shot mis-reporting on Bil’in weekly protests, it is worth highlighting the number of Palestinian and Israeli participants, as well as dedicated regular international supporters, old and young, who convene out of moral obligation and conscientious objection to this Wall and the Occupation.
One Palestinian photo-journalist friend makes an excessive point of watching out for me at marches, and also passes on collected tokens from the day’s encounter with the IOF. So I am able to not only hear and see the buzz of live and rubber-coated bullets, the flip-spinning whiz of tear gas canisters, and the loud popping of sound bombs, but to also bring some of these prizes away from the fair grounds, evidence of what I’ve seen in a handful of these many two-year-strong demonstrations.
**video clips taken by another marcher
A typical mass-media-misrepresentation of the truth:
CNN’s “Tear Gas for Tourists” focuses on the international supporters involved in the weekly Friday marches, with many twists. For any bored enough to watch CNN with the intent of following the news, remember to cross-check the stories like CNN does not.
As mentioned in the linked article, CNN’s reporting on the weekly Bil’in marches completely dismisses the reasons for the protests (yet more illegal israeli land-grab, the internationally illegal Apartheid Wall [“separation fence”]) — and the fact that marches are occurring all over the West Bank, occupied Palestine, in defiance of the Wall–as well as unscrupulously ignoring the offensive firing of teargas and rubber bullets, often live bullets as well, long before any stones may be thrown. Nor does he mention the burning of olive trees and the land around them, a result of repeated firing of tear gas at flammable grassy areas around the trees. Protesters weekly work to extinguish small fires before they escalate into full-fledged fires consuming surrounding trees. Amidst the tear gas, bullets, and confusion, however, some fires burn too quickly.
While the CNN reporter filmed the protest from a safe distance, choosing which footage to include as representative of the protest, his story is contradicted by the numerous first-hand videos by protesters themselves, Palestinian media, and international media.
Interestingly, Cal Perry could have highlighted the impressive array of solidarity protesters, which include the elderly as well as the young.
**Japanese activist putting fire out
**Tear gas is routinely shot dangerously close to unarmed protesters, irrespective of their non-violent actions.
**examples of weekly Bil’in marchers**
**US activist voices his opposition to the IOF actions and US support of Israel’s occupation; un-armed Palestinian kidnapped and arrested; jeep convoy chases protesters.**
He could have linked the effect of the Apartheid Wall, which those present at Bil’in are protesting, to the various methods of israeli land-grab in West Bank and East Jerusalem. He could have made connections to the many gross international human rights violations of the zionist Occupation Forces and government, and to such violations as unlawful house demolitions, inhumane and humiliating checkpoints, zionist colonists’ violence against Palestinians, torture of Palestinians.
June 22, 2007
[YOUTUBE]
*targeting youths with rocks
* blown out window
Surely their English is sufficient to understand what we shouted: “they’re children, don’t shoot. They’re like your brothers. They are human beings.” Naïve basics. But the soldiers just ignored us, some shouted back, pushed us away, and kept aiming their rifles.
The youths have stones. The soldiers are on their land—their down-sized land.
It’s as if the soldiers go into a trance, aiming at the target, utterly dissociated from their own humanity and that of their targets.
The soldier in charge eventually pulled his youth-targeting soldier away. Only after we had shouted at and pleaded with him for 5 minutes to stop shooting at the youths.
The sniper had looked up from his scope, startled, concentration broken, trance snapped –he was truly elsewhere—peeved at being disrupted from his task.
And he would likely have continued unabated, shooting at stone-throwing boys, had we not yelled at him, our yelling which did little to directly affect his actions, succeeding indirectly via pressure on his superior.
What is it about the notion of “authority”—packaged, in uniform and armed—that makes even conscientious people waver, falter, unsure where the line lies which can’t be crossed: should we merely shout at the soldier to stop shooting? Grab at his rifle? Block his way? Of course we should do whatever we can to stop him, shame him out of his hurtful reverie. Of course we do not have to abide by an authority which is re-designating areas of land as “off-limits, military areas” at their own whim. An occupying power which repeatedly disrupts non-violent marches, abusing, arresting, and gassing unarmed protesters.
Shoulds. Should nots.
They should not be shooting at unarmed protesters. At teens armed with stones. They, the soldiers, claim they are defending themselves. But they see neither the irony nor the hypocrisy of defending against a people who are in turn defending (with rocks) (against fully-armed soldiers.) against the soldiers’ attack.
The youths, under other circumstances, would come up to foreigners like me, joking, flirting, practicing their English, offering ahlan wa sahlan (you are welcome here). Their beauty is marred by their reality. Who should grow up literally dodging bullets and inhaling gas, being arrested for throwing rocks or for being Arab, knowing Occupation, invasion, fear, humiliation, cheering at the release of a detained demonstrator like one would cheer on a sports team?
The youths obviously know the risks of resisting. But that potential danger—arrests, rubber bullets, live bullets, tear gas, collective punishment—is perhaps less menacing to them than submission to oppression.
Isn’t she lovely?
This is an example of what she is holding.
These live and “rubber” bullets have been fired at the Palestinian youth and elderly, at Bil’in village, near the city of Ramallah, occupied Palestine.
These are the types of bullets that are fired by Israeli soldiers on a regularly basis at non-violent demonstrators. In the village of Bil’in, these weapons are being used against protesters armed with banners, cameras, flags, and an uncrushable spirit of resistance. Long before young boys pick up rocks, demonstrators have been subjected to a barrage of tear gas, sound bombs and bullets, for the crime of marching on their land, demanding the return of their land which has been divided by the Wall, and moreover for not consenting to the oppressive tactics of an occupying army and government.
–“These are just from the last 2 demonstrations. And they are only a portion of what was shot at the demonstrators at these protests.”–Abdullah, Bil’in Popular Committee.
Fortunately, the tear gas canisters are labeled with warnings about the chemical danger of the weapons, a concession to those being assaulted.
Canisters also come labelled with the origin of manufacture, so that US taxpayers know how some of the over $4 billion of their money goes to support Israel’s invasions and further occupation of Palestinian land.
*Some scenes of tear gas attacks on protesters.
When in the cloud of gas, it is truly debilitating, rendering one unable to see, much less stumble over rocks and out of the gas.
The violence of the tear gas also wounds the land, starting fires among the olive trees.
Some of the weekly Bil’in protesters. They carry flags, march, chant, repeatedly take rubber bullets to various parts of the body, are repeatedly gassed, are arrested, and are prevented from even crossing their land before the Wall.
Having already been shot by a live bullet which left him paralyzed, this Bil’in villager is always at the lead of the protests, taking the tear gas and sound bombs at close range.
*Update: This man, Bassam abu Rahme was later murdered by the Israeli army while he was himself trying to protect another protester from being injured or killed–an Israeli soldier fired a high velocity tear gas canister directly at him from short distance, the canister boring into his chest. He was a gentle soul, known as “Pheel” for elephant.
‘Rubber’ bullet wounds.
Three demonstrators were injured by rubber bullets in another of the weekly non-violent demonstrations against the Wall and land grab in Bil’in village. A 29 year old American journalist was hit in the stomach, while two Palestinians from Bil’in took rubber bullets to the head and stomach respectively.
The Wall at Bil’in village, along with illegal Israeli colonies, has stolen nearly 60% of Bil’in residents’ vital agricultural land. As has happened for the last 2 years, demonstrators amassed and left from the town centre, winding their way down the road towards the Wall. As with the previous Friday march, demonstrators were neither able to walk on their own land all the way to the wall, nor were free of showers of tear gas, sound bombs, and rubber bullets.
Before the assault broke out from the waiting Israeli soldiers, protesters attempted to negotiate crossing the barbed barrier obstructing the road to the Wall. Demonstrators having pushed aside the razor wire and crossed the line, soldiers soon after began their fire of gas, sound bombs, and later “rubber” bullets.
The Palestinian Medic Relief team in Bil’in comprises a team of about 7 Palestinians trained in basic first aid who volunteer their time week after week to care for those wounded during their non-violent struggle.
The American wounded by a rubber bullet to the stomach was here in solidarity and to document first-hand the weekly incidences of violence against a non-violent protest, taking this valuable information back to young audiences in the U.S. “I want to tell the youths of America what is going on here. I present real material to them in a young voice, in a way they can understand. I want them to care, to be concerned about what is happening to our Palestinian friends,” he explained.
Back in a community meeting centre, Abdullah, of the Bil’in Popular Committee, emptied sacks of sound bombs, empty tear gas canisters, and a mixture of rubber and live bullets into 2 large oil-barrel sized containers. “These are just from the last 2 demonstrations. And they are only a portion of what was shot at the demonstrators at these protests,” recounted Abdullah. The rest have been either confiscated by the Israeli occupation forces or collected and sold for their aluminum value by Palestinian youths, ironically earning a pittance from the very weapons and military that assault them.
It strikes me again and again that it seems a horrible war game is being played out in Bil’in, an optimal training ground for Israeli soldiers, where the risk of danger is limited to stones lobbed by youths football fields away. Watching the soldiers take turns assaulting and re-distributing themselves along the surrounding fence and amidst the olive trees, it becomes more clear that they have a nice training ground.
Yet, the resolve is impressive of Bil’in villagers who face the theft of their land, the attacks and incursions of the army, and the health risks resulting from all of this. Bil’in is another example of a once-calm village, surrounded by lovely scenery and comprised of historic homes in occupied Palestine. And it is an example of a people who will not be pushed off their land, and who will continue to resist injustice.
[Handala]
oPt 