Demonstrating in Bil'in
Yesterday I went to a demonstration against the wall in Bil'in, a village in the Ramallah district, towards the west. I think someone estimated about 200 people were there, but I could be wrong. I'm also not sure what the ratio of Palestinians to internationals to Israelis was, but it was well-mixed. 4 other Boston folks went too, and it was good to meet up with them for a day, since we've been separated for 2 weeks with the exception of one meeting. The first thing we saw when we got to the village was a large stuffed snake the villagers had made, and some young boys riding on it while waiting for the demonstration to begin. The snake represented Israel, and the bird with an olive branch in it's mouth represented Palestine. During the march towards the wall the snake was carried above our heads on a wooden platform, with signs referring to Israel and the wall consuming and eating Palestine.
At some point the army placed barbed wire on the ground and lined up with shields. The snake was placed on the ground in front of them, and community leaders sat down on the structure. I'm not sure how long it lasted like this, but it was a while. Beautiful Palestinian chants were shouted the whole time. It seemed like the army at first was very preoccupied with documentation, as every 3rd soldier was holding a video or still camera, capturing everyone's faces. This is one method they have of identifying community leaders, who are later captured and dissappeared into the administrative detention system (basically, prison without charges).
Eventually tear gas and sound bombs were fired into the crowd, when the demo was down to about 100 folks, but was still going strong. I'm not sure what provoked it, if anything. I've heard that most every Bil'in demonstration ends this way. When the canisters were fired the people who ran came towards me. The safest thing to do in this situation is to stay put or walk away, but sound bomb canisters were landing at my feet and exploding, so I took off too. I ran for a bit then walked back. Sound bombs are more annoying than dangerous, but if you get hit by an exploding canister you could get hurt. The soldiers had pushed the group back but we were able to push them back again, to the original line, although at that point most Palstinians had left for their own safety, and internationals and Israelis held the front.
Soldiers starting beating people at one point, and I took some photos but they're not very good. S, one of the Boston folks, was kicked in the head by a soldier while he was on the ground. It seems like they targeted him in particular and thought he was Palestinian because the soldier who was kicking him was yelling "Falastini! Falastini!" while he was doing it, and stopped when S started yelling in English (equally disturbing!). He's doing ok, but had a headache all nite.
I got sick from the gas, I think. Or maybe it was a combination of that plus not enough food or water in my stomach and the hot direct sunlight. About 30 minutes before the demo ended I got really dizzy and left to sit in the shade, because I was afraid of passing out on the ground in front of everyone. I had to put my head between my knees for a while, but eventually it passed. After the demo I traveled back to Nablus and Balata, where I slept all nite. Now tonite is my last nite with the family that has graciously hosted me in their home for two weeks. I hope I can repay their hospitality in some meaningful way, because they've been really wonderful and learning from them has been very significant to my time here.
At some point the army placed barbed wire on the ground and lined up with shields. The snake was placed on the ground in front of them, and community leaders sat down on the structure. I'm not sure how long it lasted like this, but it was a while. Beautiful Palestinian chants were shouted the whole time. It seemed like the army at first was very preoccupied with documentation, as every 3rd soldier was holding a video or still camera, capturing everyone's faces. This is one method they have of identifying community leaders, who are later captured and dissappeared into the administrative detention system (basically, prison without charges).
Eventually tear gas and sound bombs were fired into the crowd, when the demo was down to about 100 folks, but was still going strong. I'm not sure what provoked it, if anything. I've heard that most every Bil'in demonstration ends this way. When the canisters were fired the people who ran came towards me. The safest thing to do in this situation is to stay put or walk away, but sound bomb canisters were landing at my feet and exploding, so I took off too. I ran for a bit then walked back. Sound bombs are more annoying than dangerous, but if you get hit by an exploding canister you could get hurt. The soldiers had pushed the group back but we were able to push them back again, to the original line, although at that point most Palstinians had left for their own safety, and internationals and Israelis held the front.
Soldiers starting beating people at one point, and I took some photos but they're not very good. S, one of the Boston folks, was kicked in the head by a soldier while he was on the ground. It seems like they targeted him in particular and thought he was Palestinian because the soldier who was kicking him was yelling "Falastini! Falastini!" while he was doing it, and stopped when S started yelling in English (equally disturbing!). He's doing ok, but had a headache all nite.
I got sick from the gas, I think. Or maybe it was a combination of that plus not enough food or water in my stomach and the hot direct sunlight. About 30 minutes before the demo ended I got really dizzy and left to sit in the shade, because I was afraid of passing out on the ground in front of everyone. I had to put my head between my knees for a while, but eventually it passed. After the demo I traveled back to Nablus and Balata, where I slept all nite. Now tonite is my last nite with the family that has graciously hosted me in their home for two weeks. I hope I can repay their hospitality in some meaningful way, because they've been really wonderful and learning from them has been very significant to my time here.
posted by Steph at 6:00 PM
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