Four years to the Bil'in struggle - tear gas as usual

from Gush Shalom

A government comes, a government goes – and the struggle continues. Four years of struggle and non-violent resistance, a struggle which made "Bil'in" into a household name in the Palestinian territories and also in Israel and around the world. An example from which other villagers have learned whose lands were also robbed. Small and big demonstrations, a weekly march to the Fence every Friday – in summer and winter, in scorching sunlight and under driving rain. An appeal to the Supreme Court, a verdict ruling that the Fence must be moved and much of the stolen land restored to the Bil'in villagers – followed by the civil and military authorities continually dragging their feet and trying in all possible ways to avoid carrying out the verdict. And in the past weeks the army intensified its raids. Nearly every night the jeeps are rampaging in the village streets, and shock grenades explode loudly on very late hours, and youths are arrested and dragged from their homes to the waiting police cars. And the struggle continues and continues and continues.

Today - the fourth anniversary of this struggle – there once again gathered in front of the Bil'in mosque hundreds of villagers, and Palestinians from other villages, and Israelis from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv – including Gush Shalom activists – and volunteers from all over the world. Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad left for a moment his Ramallah offices to stand with his people at the Bil'in fence. Also Dr. Mustafa Bargouthi, who was an independent minister in the Palestinian Unity Government (and might be again, if the Palestinians do overcome their desastrous divisions). And together, all marched through the streets of the village, and to the fields, and under the olive trees, and to the Fence. And there, the soldiers sent by the State of Israel were waiting, and like every week it did not take long before the shooting started and the gas clouds filled the air. And like every week, Israelis and Palestinians and internationals were running under the tear gas and helping each other and handing to each other onions and handkerchiefs soaked with alcohol, which helps to reduce the coughing and suffocation and shedding of tears.

There, under the gas clouds in Bil'in, we heard the expected news: Binyamin Netanyahu had just gotten from President Peres the mandate to form the new government of Israel. "Ahalan wa Sahalan Netanayhu! Ahalan wa Sahalan Lieberman! Welcome, welcome! You will not break us!" cried an old villager, wearing traditional clothing and leaning on a stick.

Thanks to Activestills for providing photos