Today is the third day of curfew in Niâlin, west Ramallah. All access roads are closed. At around 11 am this morning, the villagers broke the curfew imposed by the occupation forces. Clashes ensued and have been ongoing until the evening.
***image2***17 have been injured, 5 of them are in hospital, dozens more are suffering breathing problems from the teargas.
The occupation forces are throwing teargas and sound grenades into the houses. 5 houses have been raided and furniture and electronic equipment destroyed. 5 people have been arrested, others beaten and detained for hours.
The people in Niâlin expect the curfew to last. Basic needs of the village cannot be covered for more than another three days.
The people from Niâlin have staged demonstrations for over 50 days at almost daily basis. Hundreds of residents repeatedly stopped the destruction of their fields for the Apartheid Wall by storming the construction area and disabling equipment. In the last 10 days alone, 6 bulldozers, 2 jeeps and one truck have been damaged to make them unable to continue the works. The occupation forces are now determined to stop Ni’linâs model of popular struggle from spreading across the West Bank and attempt to drown it in violence. Yet, around July 9, in 15 separate villages the people will take to the streets and fields in popular protests, exactly as Niâlin is doing.
This attack on an entire village just before July 9, the 4th anniversary of the ICJ decision that the Wall must be dismantled, is emblematic. The inaction of the international community allows the Occupation to continue their crimes.
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