Palestin-Israel, Bil'in, the joint struggle against the occupation and against the separation fence continue - Friday 30-6-06

At noon, we marched from the center of the village on the road leading to the route of the separation fence. We were about 150 demonstrators. About 100 of Bil'in villagers, 20 Israelis organized by the Anarchists against the wall initiative, 25 internationals, and a number of media workers from all over the world and of our region. The march was accompanied as usual with chanting. The theme of this Friday was the protest of the Israeli special forces who kidnapped las nights lot of Palestinians - including three of Bil'in villagers. It was expressed by orange head and face cover that many of the demonstrators wore. When we arrived at the fence route we encountered the state forces who blocked the entrance with three armored cars and spools of barbed wire.

The chants and verbal confrontation intensified and two Palestinian climbed on the robust gate. less than 10 centimeters distance from the roofs of the armed cars they held Palestinian flags and one of them gave a speech. The angered state forces threatened them but resigned as they had no excuse for violence.

Few restless village youth at the fringe of the crowd collected stones for throwing on the state forces at the gate but were convinced to delay their confrontation till the nonviolent demonstration ended.

After a while, the non violent demonstrators left the place near the gate and started to march along the route of the fence - leaving the area for the stone throwers. However, as one of the marchers tilted the spool of barbed wire placed along the fence bordering the route of the electronic separation fence. The enraged soldiers responded with shower of shock grenades that injured seriously two of the demonstrators and caused the dispersing of the rest - few of them returned to the area near the gate previously blocked, but now wide open as the armored cars had driven in a kind of violent patrol towards the village. In addition, a violent patrol of foot soldiers entered the are where the demonstrators have dispersed and where the stone thrower youth were positioned. (Of it resulted with lot of shock grenades and few tear gas ones with the edition of some rubber coated bullets.)

The non violent demonstrators who returned to the area near the gate were not treated as wanted guests. First two Israelis were snatched. Then the soldiers tried to close the gate and expel the demonstrators who approached the fence "too much". The physical efforts of the state forces failed to evict the comrades and there was a relative quite period, after which the demonstration was declared by the village comity as finished.

However, the road to village was not free... On the way we encountered the returned violent patrol of armed cars. some points we had to wait or go around confrontation between the stone throwers and the foot soldiers violent patrol resulting in flying stones, grenades and even bullets.

At the end, all the nonviolent demonstrators returned to the village and after a while the two Israelis that were snatched and detained at the fence rout were released.