The weekly protest in Bil'in

Friday February 09, 2007 21:09 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC

On Friday, Palestinian villagers along with international and Israeli peace activists marched in the weekly protest in Bilin village near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Bil'in protest on Friday 9, 2007 - Photo By ISM

A total of 300 demonstrators marched today in protest to the Israeli policy of judeaising Jerusalem, and the controversial excavation near the Mugrabi gate, one of the entrances to al-Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem.

As they do each week, protesters marched all the way up to the gate in the wall that separates the village from the land; here they were met by the Israeli army and border police.

Local villagers along with international and Israeli peace activists tried to pass through the gate to get to the village land that is trapped on the 'Israeli side' of the wall. Soldiers responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and attacked demonstrators with rifle buts and batons.

Three protestors- two Palestinians and one Israeli- were injured by rubber coated bullets, while one Palestinian child was hit by a soldier's baton and suffered light wounds. One child was treated for gas inhalation at the site.

ramallah | non-violent action | news report ghassanb at imemc dot org