Bil'in Rejects US version of "the New Middle East"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
for pictures see http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/07/28/bilin-2/ http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/07/28/bilin-2/
Today, Friday July 28th, the people of Bil'in in conjunction with Israelis and international supporters marched to the
Apartheid wall carrying a coffin draped in the Palestinian and Lebanese flags. On the side of the coffin it read "the
New Middle East", referring to the announcement that Condolezza Rice made that "It is time for a new Middle East", which
followed a transfer of precision-guided missles from the US to Israel. Raad Amer, a Palestinian activist with ISM
explained that, "This US manufactured plan for peace in the New Middle East will die, just as all the plans before it
that the US and Israeli tried to impose on the Middle East: the Road Map, Oslo, etc."
One-hundred people demonstrated through the village on a different route to the regular demonstration, chanting and
wearing red paint on their clothes as a symbol of the Palestinians and Lebanese that have been killed as Israel
implements its new plan for the Middle East. The Popular Committee quickly decided to change the route of the march due
to the fact that Israeli soldiers were already stationed along the road and within the trees that the marchers usually
follow. Instead they chose a path used by farmers and shepherds and reached the wall at a less fortified spot at the
bottom of the hill from the gate.
The people carrying the coffin laid it on the barbed wire that is the first of two fences that make up the Apartheid
Wall going through Bil'in. Eyad Bournat, of the Popular Committee, climbed up on it in attempt to lay down on the coffin
and immediately soldiers threw sound bombs at the crowd. Demonstrators backed away from the barbed wire but the soldiers
continued to throw bombs one after another. Abdullah Abu Rahme, also of the Popular Committee, was hit with a sound bomb
on his foot and sustained moderate injuries.
The march continued up the steep hill towards the gate in the wall as soldiers fired sound bombs and rubber bullets. The
marchers reached the road near the top of the hill and found many soldiers stationed inside the gate and in the trees
above them. The Popular Committee decided to march back to the village so that the army could not take advantage of the
demonstrators. "We must be very careful," Khatib said. "Four internationals were killed in Lebanon and the Israeli
military is allowed to claim that they didn't do it on purpose because everyone believes them."
Since Israel's aggression towards Lebanon and Gaza began, the military has stepped up their violence towards protesters
in Bil'in as was evident today because they were poised to strike demonstrators from all directions. In addition, the
war in Lebanon has drawn media attention away from non-violent protests and today there were only a few, making it also
more dangerous for protesters without the media attention.
Although the demonstration was shorter than normal, the continuation of these protests has had a positive affect on the
Supreme Court Cases that Bil'in has filed. On July 25th the Supreme Court ruled on HCJ 143/06, reinforcing their
previous order to halt construction of the settlement Matityahu East and stop residents from moving in to empty
apartments. They also ruled that pockets of the land on which settlement buildings stand belongs to residents of Bil'in
and that the real estate company can demolish buildings to return the land to its previous state. The court also ruled
that there must be a public road for walking and cars to connect the village with the pockets of land inside the
settlement because residents of the Bil'in have the right to be there according to the Israeli courts. In June, families
of Bil'in moved into these buildings that are built on their land to call attention to their land being stolen, but were
evicted by the Israeli police soon after. Khatib announced to demonstrators after the demonstration, "We will keep
struggling and these direct actions have put pressure on the court, which we have won a small victory in recently and
hopefully we will have more victories in the court decisions to come."
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led nonviolent movement to end the Israeli occupation of
the West bank and Gaza Strip.
For specific media inquires such as interview requests, photo usage, etc. please email the ISM Media Office at
media@palsolidarity.org
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---