***image2***Occupation forces fired tear gas and sound bombs at demonstrators in Bilâin on Friday. During the night following the protest, soldiers raided the village and kidnapped several more residents. These actions follow Desmond Tutu and others to the village the day prior.
On Friday the people of Bilâin, supported by Israeli and international activists, marched through the village to the Wall. When protestors opened the gate in the fence, soldiers stationed on the other side fired tear gas and tear gas, pushing them back from the Wall. Three people were lightly injured during the protest.
Early Saturday, in the early hours of the morning, a large force of soldiers invaded the village and kidnapped several young men. This sort of night raid, wherein soldiers target residents involved in the weekly protests, have been a regular occurrence in the village.
All this comes following the visit of Desmond Tutu, former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former Norwegian prime minister Gro Brundtland, former Irish president and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, Indian human rights activist Ela Bhatt, and renowned businessmen Richard Branson and Jeff Skoll. The delegation visited Bilâin, speaking to residents and visiting the areas affected by the Wall.