This weekâs demonstration was held as part of the Palestinian National Culture Week for Jerusalem. Protesters carried posters of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who is one of the symbols of the National Culture Week, along with Palestinian flags and banners calling for an end to the occupation and home demolitions in Jerusalem.
The protest was organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Bil’in and was joined by the Minister of Culture, Siham Barghothi, members of the Democratic Youth Union Fidaâ.
The protestors were raising Palestinian flags and placards with slogans of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. The slogans were focused on the escalating Israeli settlement policy, including the annexation of the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Mosque of Bilal bin Rabah as âheritage of Israelâ, the attacks on the houses of Jerusalem in Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah and the Israeli plans for a further 50 000 new settlement housing units in East Jerusalem.
The Minister of Culture Siham Barghouti addressed the protest and spoke about Bil’in resistance as a model for creative action and that it sends a message to the whole world that the Palestinian people have over the decades developed and adopted many forms of resistance. This willingness to continue and continuously renew the struggle reflects our commitment to our right to our land, to a dignified life and is an indication of the justice of our cause and our right to establish our Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.
After the speeches were over the protesters marched through the streets of the village and then headed towards the wall where a military force of the Israeli occupation army was stationed among the olive trees. When the people of the village arrived in their land the military started launching stun grenades and rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas at demonstrators, injuring an 18 year old and a 15 year old child. Dozens of protestors suffered from tear gas inhalation.