A-Infos (en) Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, 105th Friday joint demonstration - end of the truce with these objecting to nonviolence direct action

It was an early Spring day - warm and sunny. We started as usual from 
the village center towards the route of the separation fence. With 
placards. Chanting and sometimes even dancing. Palestinians from Bil'in 
and the region, internationals, anarchists against the wall initiative, 
and lot of media people. When we passed the last buildings of the 
village, we had a surrealistic vision: soldiers on the roof of a small 
house with a Palestinian flag high above them.... The usual provocation 
team that come to "invite" the village children to a confrontation of 
stones versus rubber coated bullets, tear gas and shock grenades. As 
usual, we continued to the blocked gate of the route of the separation 
fence. When we just arrived, the village people who do not like joint 
and nonviolent struggle, started immediately to throw stones - 
"inviting" the Israeli soldiers to start their assault which do not 
discriminate between the two kinds of demonstrators.

(Months ago, a kind of truce/agreement was arrived between the village 
popular comity for joint nonviolent struggle against the fence, and the 
people objecting to such mode of struggle. In that agreement that was 
most time kept, the stone throwers were supposed to refrain from 
throwing stones from among the other demonstrators before the state 
force start to attack us, or for 20 minutes or so if the army do not 
attack.)

After few minutes, the soldiers shooting rubber coated bullets and shock 
and tear gas grenades made the stone throwers run away, and they tried 
like previous Friday demo to force us to return to the village... But, 
we resisted. Shower of shock grenades and few tear gas ones, pulling and 
pushing people, and threats failed to make us go away.

We interfered with their shooting on the run away stone throwers and 
forced them to refrain from sniping or using any live ammunition.

When we decided to return to the village, we had to go around it or pass 
through the usual zone of confrontation between the stone throwing kids 
and the army. As the soldiers prevented as from going around that zone, 
we asked the kids for a short break so we could pass that zone with only 
little tear gas and shock grenades.

When we moved there we seen again the snipers and heard the commander 
order to change to plan b. that enable them to shoot more freely when 
Israelis are not there. Some Israelis lingered a short while to prevent 
this "plan b." and warned the kids from the snipers.

When we arrived at the village, part of us returned home and others 
traveled to the action against the separation fence in Um Salamuna.

Previous Friday demonstration and pictures in Um Salamuna:

19/01/2007
http://awalls.org/hundreds_demonstrate_against_the_wall_in_um_salamuna_near_bethlehem
Hundreds demonstrate against the Wall in Um Salamuna near Bethlehem

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Um Salamuna today, to conduct the 
Friday prayer on lands recently bulldozed for the wall. They were joined 
by Israeli activists from the Anarchists against the wall initiative and 
by international activists who came to express their solidarity. 
Fortunately, there were no bulldozers working on the village’s lands 
today, and even the military stayed afar, on an overlooking hill.

pic: Villagers demonstrating against the wall in Um Salamuna

The demonstration passed with no incident, and was joined by farmers 
from 10 surrounding villages in the area, all affected by this segment 
of the wall.

pic: Villagers praying on their lands

Work on the wall in the area first began on January 2nd, when bulldozers 
arrived on the village’s land for the first time, uprooting grape vines. 
That day the bulldozers were stopped by a handful of villagers who 
blocked them with their bodies.

On January 15th bulldozers returned to work in Um Salamuna’s lands. 
Villagers quickly went down to the lands to try and stop their 
devastation, but were met by staggering violence, causing injuries to 
two people.

pic: Women of Um Salamuna demonstrating on their lands

The wall’s path in the area will cut off 700 dunams of Palestinian land, 
leaving that land on the Israeli side. It will very likely be 
expropriated to expand the nearby settlement Efrat. In an area that is 
traditionally greatly dependent on agriculture for generations, the ten 
affected villages will lose 70,000 grape trees and 1000 olive trees


>> The invitation to the Um Salamuna for this Friday demonstration

You are invited on Friday 26th at 3pm to a wedding that will take place 
on land Bulldozed to make way for the Wall in the south Bethlehem 
village of Umm Salamuna. Residents of neighboring villages will attend 
the wedding where the couple will declare their commitment to each other 
and to the threatened land of the village. Mohammed Bregiah, 28, will be 
marrying Sunai Abu Raiyeh, 25. After the wedding villagers will give 
speeches vowing to resist the annexation and confiscation of their land.

A strip of land has already been razed for the Wall west of a number of 
Bethlehem villages, including Umm Salamuna. Umm Salamuna stands to have 
700 dunums of agricultural land annexed and 270 dunums confiscated for 
the route of the Wall. The 10 affected villages stand to lose 70,000 
grape vines and 1000 olive trees.

Last Friday villagers prayed on their bulldozed land in Umm Salamuna and 
appealed for international solidarity in their struggle to hold on to 
the land, which is a lifeline for the economy of these villages.


>> This Friday too there was no confrontation with the Israeli armed 
forces. There was only two army cars monitoring the protest activity 
from far away.
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