Villagers of Bil'in To Stage Non-Violent March

Friday at 1-00 PM the villagers of Bil'in together with Israeli and International supporters will hold another creative non-violent march to the construction site of the Annexation Barrier in solidarity with the non violent protestors in Israeli detention.

The villagers will carry a twenty meter long message in the spirit of the decisions of the International Court of Justice and march with their hands tied bearing the names of the non-violent protesters from Bil'in who are in Israeli detention. These arrestees are being accused by the Israeli authorities of damaging the foundations of the barrier.

Last Friday, villagers from Bil'in did what the U.N. and the international community have failed to do for more than a year. The villagers implemented the decision of the ICJ that the illegal barrier must be dismantled and removed metal posts that were to be used as a foundation for the Annexation barrier on their land.

In response in the Israeli military has been conducting arrest raids during the night in Bil'in, going house to house and rounding up activists known to participate in the non violent demonstrations, keeping the entire village sleepless in the process. On Sunday night the Israeli military distributed a leaflet in Arabic warning the villagers that they consider the damaging of the fence "violence against security property" and that "the daily lives of the villagers will be disrupted as a result of such acts".

Eleven Palestinian non-violent activists, including a sixteen year old child and three brothers from one family, have been arrested during theses raids. Only one of them, who was arrested by the soldiers in order to pressure his brother to turn himself in, has been released so far.

Yesterday, Thursday, a military force of about twenty Israeli soldiers in jeeps and on foot invaded the village for the third night in five days and began going house to house. Bil'in residents together with a few Israeli and international volunteers poured out of their houses surrounded the force and began singing and chanting (footage available upon request). The Israeli force subsequently withdrew from the village leaving behind a list of wanted Palestinian peace activists.

Abdullah Abu Rahme coordinator of the Bil'in Popular committee against the wall and settelmets said: " The Occupation forces arrest our children steal our land and use all their weapons against us but we will continue our non-violent protest until the wall falls"

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