In Defiance of Military Orders, Scores Protest At The Village Of Nil ‘in, Central West Bank

Friday March 19, 2010 22:53

by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Villagers, along with international and Israeli supporters, protested on Friday at the village of Nil ‘in, central West Bank, the Israeli built wall on farmers lands.

Protests in the West Bank on Friday – file Photo by WAFA

The Israeli army announced, this week, that the villages of Bil’in and N'ilin, central West Bank, will be closed military zones every Friday for the next six months. The order forbids Israelis and international supporters from entering the villages on Friday or they will face arrests and deportation.

The two villages are sites of weekly nonviolent anti-wall and settlement protests. These protests are often joined by international and Israeli activists, especially in the village of Bil'in who has been running Friday Protests since 2005.

On Friday, villagers conducted midday prayers at lands close to the wall then marched towards it. Israeli troops were heavly deployed at the gate of the wall separating farmers from their lands.

The protesters instead went to a nearby location and managed to hang a Palestinian flag on the wall itself. Later, soldiers used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse the crowd. Dozens suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation.

The nonviolent weekly protest ended with clashes between local youths and troops. Early on Friday the army sealed off Nil ‘in village and did not allow international and Israeli supporters, along with journalists, to access the village. People had to use an alternative farming road to get into the village to reach the protest site.