Dozen were suffocated at the weekly demonstration in Bil’in
Friday, 21 \ 8 \ 2009
Participants of the demonstration were people of the village, international activists and Israeli peace movement’s members. Demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and banners calling for ending the occupation, stopping wall and settlements constructions, land confiscation, night raids and arrests. Participants, walked in Bil’in streets, chanting slogans and calling for national unity. Demonstrators walked toward the wall and when they get close to the gate, the occupation soldiers started firing tear gas, causing suffocation.
On the other hand, the Israeli army force raided the village of Bil'in today’s morning and arrested Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Rahma (48 years) a member of the People's Committee Against the Wall - Vice President of the village council - where he was taken to the Ofer prison. Thus this raid is targeting the members of the People's Committee in order to stop their resistance against the occupation.
Although the occupation forces released yesterday, Basil Naim Bernat, this release was after spending 39 days at the prison and after paying 7,000 NIS as a penalty, and the have released the child Nashmi Mohammed Abu Rahma after paying 5,000 NIS as a penalty, thus he has spent five days at the prison. As well as, they have released before a couple of days Muhammad al-Khatib; member of the Popular committee after spending two weeks at the prison, although he has paid 10,000 NIS as a penalty, in addition to conditions includes not participating at the weekly demonstrations, and to leave Bili’n on Fridays from 12:00 am to 17:00 pm, as he has to be at the nearest Israeli police center in the mentioned period.
For more information, please contact:
Abdullah Abu Rahama- the popular committee against the wall coordinator\ Bil’in
0547258210 أو 0599107069
e-mail – lumalayan@yahoo. com
Israeli forces conduct night arrest raids, continue to target the leadership of Palestinian non-violent resistance
20 August 2009: Once again the night in Bil'in was disrupted by a raid ending with the arrest of one the members of the Village’s Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. This occurred the night after the childrens demonstration where the children had chanted slogans like "We want to sleep," "Stop the night raids".
The house of Bil'in Popular Committee member and vice president of the Bil’in village council, Mohammad Abu Rahma, (age 48), known by his friends as Abu Nizar, was raided shortly before 2am on Thursday morning. About 25 soldiers with their faces painted in black had come to the village on foot.
The soldiers broke into Abu Nizar’s home and forcefully took him from his bed where he and his wife were sleeping. They then beat and dragged him to the Annexation Wall where jeeps were waiting to pick them up. During the arrest, the soldiers where confronted by international solidarity activists who live in the village and Haitham Khatib the village’s camera man. As Haithem was filming the arrest, one soldier hit him, broke his camera and hit two of the activists.
Abu Nizar’s son Nashmi Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Rahma (age 14) had been arrested 5 days ago. To date, Israeli forces have arrested 28 people (most of which are under 18). Nineteen residents of Bil'in remain in Israeli detention. Through Israel’s interrogation and intimidation tactics, some of arrested youth have ‘confessed’ that the Bil’in Popular Committee urges the demonstrators to throw stones. With such ‘confessions’, Israeli forces then proceed to arrest leaders of the non violent struggle in the community.
The Palestinian village of Bil’in has become an international symbol of the Palestinian popular struggle. For almost 5 years, its residents have been continuously struggling against the de facto annexation of more than 50% of their farmlands via the construction of the Apartheid Wall. Magda abu Rahme , 17 , sister to Nashmi and daughter to Mohammad who are both currently in Israeli military prison stated; "These crimes, these armed invasions, breaking into homes where women sleep, these will only make us stronger and more steadfast. We remain samideen - steadfast - and will not back down. The strategy is to fragment our families and community and create distrust, and this will fail, we remain strong and we are immovable."
Another leading Bil’in non-violent activist, Adeeb Abu Rahme, remains in detention since his arrest during a non-violent demonstration on July 10th (see report & video: http://palsolidarit y.org/2009/ 07/7652. Adib Abu Rahme aa well as Mohammad Khatib from Bil’in’s popular committee have been charged with “incitement to damage the security of the area.” Mohammad Khatib, was recently released on bail after his lawyer proved that a picture the military prosecution claimed was of him throwing stones that was accompanied by a confession form one of the arrested youth recognizing Mohammad, was taken while Mohammad was out of the country.
