Bil'in: Using the camera as a tool of resistance

Saturday November 29, 2008 04:05 by Abdullah Abu Rahma

     Imad Mohammed Yassin Burnat, 36 years old, from the village of Bil'in and a young father of four children, joined the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bil'in from the moment Israeli bulldozers started uprooting the orchards of Bil'in’s land. He was the first person injured by the Israeli army in Bin’in’s resistance.  He was chosen from among his colleagues to be the videographer of the Popular Committee in order to monitor and document the violence, brutality, and repression of the occupation soldiers.

Palestinian girl with videocamera (Archive)

In the first year of the Wall in Bil'in, the Israeli army tried to use various methods to discourage the demonstrators from continuing their resistance.  This included nightly raids of the village, where soldiers surrounded the homes of activists, fired stun grenades and forced the youth out of their homes and handcuffed them.  The soldiers also tortured, humiliated, and sometimes arrested them.  Imad, his colleagues, and a group of international peace activists who lived in the village started to document the activities of soldiers with intent to prosecute them. This encouraged the people of the village, increased their defiance and steadfastness and melted their fear. It also eased the pace of violence by soldiers for fear of prosecution in the courts.  

     Imad has participated in all of Bil’in’s demonstrations with his camera, in order to capture all violations of the soldiers against the protesters. His determination and creativity were present night and day, constantly welcoming guests and delegations. The words most commonly spoken by him were “my friends do not be afraid, this camera is your guard, and all that you do is documented.”

      Imad used the camera as a witness in numerous cases in Israeli courts.  Many of the villagers were arrested during demonstrations and, as usual, Israeli soldiers’ stories were trusted without question, but the videos taken by Imad and his colleagues proved the lying nature of these soldiers. The protesters were often arrested for stone-throwing, assaulting the soldiers or attempting to take a soldier’s weapon. Israeli soldiers made these claims to the court, but the film often showed the opposite, and embarrassed the soldiers. Some Israeli soldiers admitted that some of their officers forced them to make a false testimony. On the other hand, there were many demonstrators who were directly injured, without posing a threat to the soldiers; Imad’s videos were also used to prosecute these soldiers in the courts.

      The Israeli soldiers were aware of the risks these cameras posed to them since the beginning of Bil'in’s popular resistance of the wall. There was never a raid on the village without the cameras ready for monitoring. Imad had been targeted and wounded dozens of times, but he was determined to continue the struggle through filming, which made the Israeli soldiers to search for other means. In Oct. 6th 2006, while he was documenting an Israeli invasion at the village, he was arrested and sentenced to a month in jail and two months house arrest outside Bil’in. When he was out of that, he returned to his path of resistance again.

     A year ago, one of the soldiers fired a rubber coated steel bullet at him, which broke this camera. The rubber bullet is still in the lens of the camera until today, a testament to the targeting of the press and journalists.

     Imad frequently took his turn to stay in the outpost built to protect and guard the land behind the wall. He went there early mornings, monitoring the violations committed by the settlers, and encouraging farmers to go and work in their own land.  

       On the first day of this year, a group of settlers moved mobile homes onto land of Bil'in, and then some youth from the village went there to deal with the settlers. This action was led by Imad with his camera. The group arrived on the scene at night, and Imad took his position and began filming what is happening.  Then a number of settlers attacked Imad and his colleagues and beat them severely. They were transferred immediately to the hospital for treatment. His camera was broken as a result of the courageous work done by him and the others.

      Imad was nominated, with other members of The popular Committee Against the Wall to accept the Carl von Oostaizhaki Prize.  It is to be awarded by the World Assembly for Human Rights in Germany on December 17, 2008.  He was going to be rewarded for his role in the defense of human rights, and had equipped himself by obtaining a visa. He was impatiently and excitedly awaiting the journey, but what happened?

     Last Saturday, November 22nd, Imad wen out, as usual, to be in the outpost behind the wall.  He had with him his two children Taky Eddin (8 years) and Gabriel (5 years). He was visited by many friends at the outpost and in the evening Imad took his children and his friend Haitham on his tractor to return home in the village. After they passed the first military gate and were approaching the second, Imad lost control of the tractor and collided with the wall. Imad was critically injured; he has internal bleeding, and has undergone several operations in his spleen, liver and lungs. He is still in serious condition.

     The road linking the village and land before the construction of the wall was clear of slopes and did not pose a threat to whose passed on it. The construction of the wall in the high slopes destroyed the original route and forced a new route through the military checkpoint. The new route endangers the lives of citizens, such as Imad. 

     In April 2006, the construction of the wall in Bil'in was blocking the spring water from the valley behind it and forming a huge lake caused the drowning of  a young man, Iyad Taha  (27 years) from the village of Beit Anan. Why are we waiting for more tragedies and victims? The Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bil'in, since the beginning of resistance against the wall was aware of the danger posed by the wall on all aspects of life, and holds the responsibility for what happened to Imad and his children on the occupation that has built this wall to take away our land and which threatens the lives of our children.

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