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Bil'in Celebrates Fifth Anniversary of Popular Resistance
19/02/2010
by Bil’in Popular Committee
Today, February 19th 2010, the village of Bil’in held a mass demonstration to commemorate the fifth anniversary of popular resistance against the Annexation Wall and the settlements. More than 3000 protesters attended today’s demonstration, of whom dozens suffered from tear gas suffocation and at least ten were directly injured.
Photo: ActiveStills.org
Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad attended today’s demonstration after praying with the villagers in the mosque. The Prime Minister’s visit expressed his solidarity with the people of Bil’in for the popular struggle they have committed to in the past five years and hope they will continue.
Bil’in was very honored to welcome Remy Pagany, the mayor of Geneva as well as numerous members of the Legislative Council and Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and ministers and leaders of Palestinian factions and the Knesset. The massive crowd of demonstrators held banners, Palestinian flags and chanted slogans. Altogether they called for national unity and resistance against Israel’s racist policies, occupying and stealing Palestinian land for the Apartheid Wall and the settlements. Demonstrators tried to cross the Wall to access the Palestinian lands, but the Israeli Occupation Forces prevented them. Activists were suddenly attacked with skunk water, a chemical smelling like sewage water. The activists were attacked with huge amounts of tear gas and with sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets.
Ten people were injured by tear gas canisters and the bullets. Four locals, Haitham Radwan, Ahmed Yasser Bmtat, Mohammed Abu Ahmed and Zodia were directly shot. Two Norwegians caught bullets and Wael Fahmi and Ali Mohamed Ashraf were hit with a tear gas canister in the back. Many others suffered tear gas intoxication, amongst whom politicians Dr. Nabil Shaath and Khald Ahmed Assaf Qawasmi.
Bil’in’s Popular Committee would like to thank all the participants for their sympathy and support. Special thanks goes out to the ambulance crew, the Red Crescent Medical Relief Committees and the Health Work Committees. The medical workers play a substantial role by caring for the injured with first aid and transporting them to the hospital.
Yesterday the Israeli army invaded Bil’in twice, to which youth responded with stone throwing, forcing them to leave. In the late evening the army invaded the village again.
The most important achievements of Bil’in’s popular resistance of the past five years are the following:
- On September 4th 2007, an Israeli Supreme Court resolution issued that the Wall should be rerouted and give back 1000 acres to Bil’in. With a delay of almost two years and a half, the construction works of the new Wall began on February 15th 2010.
- Keep the gate in the Wall open to Bil’in’s villagers, which allows them to work in their own land during the daytime.
- Demolition of some houses in the settlement and the return of some land in the settlement to Bil’in.
- Unity and interdependence of the village; the struggle has dissolved most of the internal problems.
- The Popular Committee Against the Wall has won four awards.
- Stop settlement expansion on the territory of the village.
- Conversion of land behind the wall to a green paradise by encouraging citizens to cultivate their lands and plant cereals, fruit trees and olive trees. By cultivating the land, Bil’in prevents Israel from confiscating more land
- Taking part in international conferences to speak about resisting the occupation, the Wall and settlements and to disseminate the story of Bil’in. The members of the Popular Committee have held four international conferences and a Palestinian. The preparations for the Fifth International Conference are ongoing and will be, God willing, on 21/4/2010.
- Bil’in has become a tourist attraction, officially and popularly.
- The village of Bil’in has become a national and global symbol of popular resistance, especially concerning the resistance to the Wall and settlements. This brings global focus, attention, compassion and solidarity with all the Palestinian people.
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