Nabi Saleh: During the weekly protest at Nabi Saleh on Friday 18th March, against the wall and settlements, the Israeli Occupation Forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and skunk water at protestors, injuring two Palestinians, Wa'ad Tamimi (15 years), and Walid al-Tamimi (16 years) and one international activist. A choir from Scotland attended the protest and sang songs of solidarity at the front of the procession. They then proceeded to sit in front of the Israeli soldiers and continue singing until the skunk truck was used to enforce retreat. The IOF then proceeded to enter the village, targeting protestors and village buildings with tear gas and rubber bullets reported the popular committee against the Wall and the settlements within the village. Fires, the result of detonating tear gas canisters, raged in the surrounding area as demonstrators continued to chant at the Israeli forces. The popular committee against the Wall and the settlements of Nabi Saleh called on Israel to release all political prisoners, and on the Palestinian and the wider International community to continue to show solidarity with all Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Kafr Qaddom: Israeli repression of Palestinian popular protests was also seen in the village of Kafr Qaddom, whose main street has been closed for several years. Sound grenades and tear gas were used to disperse protestors, who were demanding that the street be re-opened, leading to dozens of injuries among activists and journalists. Daily repression of Palestinians in the town continues, with nightly raids and arrests common occurrences, and fines for participating in the weekly demonstrations being frequently imposed. Temporary checkpoints are often set up in the surrounding area and, while settlers are let through immediately, Palestinians are often detained for hours.
Bil'in: Dozens of Palestinian and International activists were swathed in clouds of tear gas and smoke as large areas of agricultural land around Bil'in were set alight by tear gas canisters during demonstrations against the apartheid wall and settlements. The popular committee in Bil'in said that rubber bullets, tear gas and sound grenades had been fired at the demonstrators, with one canister injuring 21 year old Jamil Khatib as it hit him in the leg. Protestors responded by throwing balloons filled with animal dung at the soldiers.
Ni'lin: Youths clashed with the occupation forces following similar scenes of repression during the weekly demonstration in Ni'lin, west of Ramallah. As activists chanted against the occupation, tear gas and rubber bullets were used in an attempt to quell the dissent. The clashes continued into the early evening.
Al- Masara: The weekly march in Al-Masara, a village south of Bethlehem, saw the occupation forces prevent access to the main street of the village, temporarily confiscating the land.
The demonstrations this week came in the wake of the 64th anniversary of the Nakba, and the ending of the mass hunger strike in Israeli jails, which gained many promises of concessions and was generally hailed as a progress in the prisoners movement. The emphasis of all demonstrations was continuing solidarity with the prisoners, whilst calling on the international community to do more to secure their rights, and also support the rights of Palestinians to return to the homes they were ethnically cleansed from sixty-four years ago.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stopthewall/sets/72157629811710960/