Bil'in Residents continue struggle Against Wall

Bil'in Residents continue in their struggle Against the Wall

Two non violent demonstrations will be held in the West Bank today

2. Bil'in Residents continue in their struggle Against the Wall

--To view photos of today's demonstration, visit: http://gallery.cmaq.net/album43

Bil'in, Palestine - Today, for the second day in a row, the residents of Bil'in in the western Ramallah area demonstrated to protest the building of Israel's apartheid wall on their lands.

150 residents, along with Israeli activists and members of the ISM, marched from the mosque in the center of town towards the construction site.

Three demolition vehicles were working on the field. They had been working intensively since yesterday's demonstration and had destroyed vast amounts of land. As soon as the march reached the site, soldiers began attacking the crowd without warning. Sound bombs and tear gas canisters and rubber coated lead bullets were used to disperse the peaceful crowd. Some soldiers used guns to fire tear gas canisters directly at people's bodies, instead of in the air as proper procedure demands. One Palestinian man was injured in the initial confrontation by a rubber coated bullet to his leg.

At one point, five members of the ISM, along with a group of Palestinian men approached the army to attempt to open a dialogue. The army fired more gas canisters at them. Many elderly people were badly affected by the gas and had to be treated by medics.

The soldiers shouted ultimatums at the crowd, telling them to leave and "go back to Ramallah". Palestinians in the crowd responded with ultimatums of their own, telling the army they also had five minutes to leave their lands. Finally, one officer presented a document to the crowd, indicating that the whole field where the bulldozers were working was a closed military zone.

The villagers still refused to leave their land. The bulldozers carried on working throughout the morning, tearing up numerous olive trees. According to the Red Crescent Society, three people were injured in today's demonstration, including two Palestinians and one Israeli.

The route of the Apartheid wall in the Bil'in area is being determined by blueprints for a new Israeli settlement, Manura, which is being built nearby. Manura will be an extension of the Kiryat Sefer settlement. Both settlements are illegal under international law.

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3. Two non violent demonstrations will be held in the West Bank

1. For the third day in a row villagers from the western Ramallah area will attempt to halt the construction of Israel's apartheid wall on their land.

Tuesday at 7:00 am a demonstration will leave from the center of Saffa, neighboring Bil'in village, and work its way to the construction site on the village lands. Palestinians will be joined by Israeli and international activists.

For the last two days the neighboring village of Bil'in has been protesting intensive construction on their land. In Monday's demonstration three people were wounded.

The route of the wall in this area is being determined by blueprints for a new Israeli settlement, M'nura, which is being built in the area. M'nura will be an extension of the Kiryat Sefer settlement. Both settlements are illegal under international law.)

2. In Hebron, local residents and members of the International Solidarity Movement will march to protest a planned road which will be used for military and settler security purposes.

Parts of Hebron's old city including a Muslim cemetery have been confiscated and will be demolished for the construction of the road. The road will be closed to Hebron's Palestinians. The demonstration will begin beside the Tel Rumeida settlement in Hebron at 11am.

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