On June 18th, 2010, Israeli occupation forces suppressed Al-Maâsaraâs weekly protest which called for the release of Hasan Brijiyyeh who was arrested last week for his involvement in organizing the demonstrations which oppose the construction of the Apartheid Wall and insist upon the struggle to preserve the Palestinian land.
As usual, the demonstration started after Friday prayers in front of the Zawahreh school in the village and headed towards the area of the Wall. The march then tried to pass through the barbed wire gate entrance of the village towards the outskirts where the Efrat settlement colonizes Palestinian land. The demonstrators were demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners, and were specifically calling for the release of Hasan Brijiyyeh, a member of the villageâs popular committee against the Wall who was just charged with attempting to burn a soldier, which constitutes a serious offense.
The committee coordinator Muhammad Brijiyyeh delivered a speech in which he assured the continuation of popular resistance in the village regardless of Israeli occupation forcesâ violent attempts to repress the demonstrations and their constant arrest of activists. Another committee member, Mahmoud Alaâadin, also addressed the march by calling for continued international solidarity, thanking all activists, and insisting upon the Palestinian right to freedom and independence.
The serious offense that the Israeli occupation forces charged Hasan Brijiyyeh with reflects the success of the weekly demonstrations against Israeli occupation that are occurring across Palestinian communities. The occupation forces are threatened by the organization of popular resistance, and are thus trying their hardest to suppress the protests which are shedding light on the grave injustices of Israeli occupation.