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The Villagers of Bil’in Commemorate the First Anniversary of the Murder of Bassem Abu Rahmah
16/04/2010
by Bil’in Popular Committee
Photo: Oren Ziv / Activestills.org
The Popular Committee of Bil’in organized a ceremony today to commemorate the death of Bassem Abu Rahmah, who was murdered last year when he was shot with a tear gas canister in the chest during one of the weekly protests.
Following the Friday prayer several speakers took the stage to talk about the resistance of the village and Palestinians in general throughout the conflict. The Popular Committee welcomed the crowd and invited everyone to join the protest. The family was represented by Bassem’s brother, Ahmad Abu Rahmah, who spoke about Bassem’s contributions to the village and especially to the struggle against the wall.
After the short ceremony, protesters set out toward the wall carrying Palestinian flags and calling for national unity against the Israeli occupation, land confiscation and stating their refusal of new military orders to deport several thousand people from the West Bank .
When the protest reached the wall, an Israeli army unit was stationed behind a concrete block. The gate that leads to the confiscated land was already closed and barbed wire was in place in front of it. The army fired teargas and rubber bullets at the demonstrators, causing dozens to suffer gas inhalation.
The Popular Committee of Bil’in condemned the recent military order, number 1650, which orders the transfer of Palestinians and possibly international from the West Bank. According to international law, notably the Fourth Geneva Convention, the new order is illegal. The Fourth Geneva Convention calls for the protection of civilians under occupation and states that the transfer of any population under occupation is illegal. The Popular Committee calls for unity to confront these new threats.
The Popular Committee of Bil’in also announces that next week it will hold its fifth annual International Conference on Grassroots Popular Resistance, starting on Wednesday, April 21 and continuing through Friday, April 23. The Committee invites all interested to join the conference.
Videos
Bassem Abu Rahma - A Friend To Us All
On April 17th we mark one year to loosing Bassem, who we also knew as Pheel.
Although he is greatly missed at the village and during every demonstration, his spirit keeps on living with each and every one of us.
For this anniversary we decided to share the short film made in his memory. The film was ready within days, just in time to be screened at the International Conference on Popular Resistance which was held in Bil’in, 22nd-24th of April 2009. Thanks goes to Shai Carmeli-Pollak for the sensitive and wonderful work he has put into it.
In loving memory of Bassem Ibrahim Abu Rahma (Pheel)
19.12.1977 - 17.4.2009
Film available with arabic, hebrew, english or french subtitles.
