Palestine-Israel, Bil'in, In spite of objections of local reactionaries the joint struggle continue. 18 Aug 2006

This Friday, we were after massive political activity to counter the reactionaries to put end to the joint struggle. Coincidentally (or not) it was in parallel to the new ban on the Friday demonstrations in bil'in issued last Friday. A delegate of the palestinian national comity came to the demo and gave a speech in support of the joint struggle with the Israelis in the name of the national leadership. A speech in the name of the local leadership was carried by a member of the local comity for joint struggle. An agreement was reached with the stone throwers that they will not sabotage the nonviolent demonstration, meaning they will start throwing stones only after the demonstration was declared ended by the comity or by brutal act of the Israeli armed forces. In spite of the warning at the morning of the Israeli regional commander to the activists of the village comity to refrain from doing the Friday demo, we did do it. After the speeches about hundred of us started to march towards the route of the separation fence.

Palestinians from Bil'in and from out of the village, international activists of the ISM, Israelis of the anarchists against the separation wall initiative, and some media workers. Chanting, and singing, and even sporadic dancing we advanced along the road to the route. About hundred meters after the last house of the village, an armed water canon car was blocking the road. Before it even started to attack us, activists of the village comity had to physically restrain a youth who wanted to start to throw stones in contradiction to the agreement.

Not long later, the water cannon started to work... Strong stream of water mixed most of the time with blue color and "paper" gas was sprayed on the demonstrators who were driven to all direction - some of them suffering from the sting of the pepper gas.

The stone throwers advanced around the water cannon and engaged with their usual confrontation with the Israeli state force, who used various "non lethal" grenades and rubber coated bullets. Most of the nonviolent demonstrators stayed on the blocked road and around it for a long while till the village comity declared the demonstration finished.

Both before the demonstration and after it we had talks about the demonstration strategy and explanations for these who are not acquainted with the struggle against the separation fence in Bil'in.