Israeli occupation forces assaulted a 14-year old child, Nabil Khalid Hajajle, and beat him severely with sticks and batons before arresting him. Nabil participated at a march today on the lands of al-Walaja. Residents walked to the fields where the apartheid wall is being built. The Wall is slated to confiscate more land from the villagers. The occupation forces dragged the child to a military vehicle and sent him to an unknown location. Another protestor, Ghadeer Al-Atrash, suffered injuries.
The military launched large quantities of tear gas and beat several people heavily with clubs and rifle butts to suppress their right to protest. The occupation used a new type of teargas that is sprayed directly in the face causing breathing problems. The first time protestors reported on this spray was two days ago, also in al-Walaja. This is an indication that the IOF uses the protests as a testing ground for new weapons that the Israeli arms industry exports to the rest of the world.
The protests are ongoing and count with the participation of a number of international solidarity activists. The protestors are currently standing in front of a bulldozer to prevent it from destroying land owned by the villagers while the occupation forces are keeping up a heavy military presence in the area.
The protests continue in the village of Walaja for the third day in a row notwithstanding continuing repression of the demonstrations by the occupation forces. In the past two days, more than 30 Palestinians and international solidarity activists have been injured and nearly twenty others detained.
The Bethlehem district has recently seen an increase in these protests against the wall. The Israeli policy aims to transform Bethlehem into a ghetto making normal life impossible and popular resistance the only way forward. Protests against the Wall and the settlements are ongoing in al Maâsara, al-Walaja, Jub ath-Thib, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour and Wadi Rahal.