Early Friday morning, the Israeli army closed the two entrances into the village of Niâlin and prevented anybody from entering, including an Al Jazeera film crew and PLC member Mohammad Mesleh. Mesleh did not let this stop him from joining the weekly protest against the Apartheid Wall in Niâlin, and walked through the surrounding fields in order to enter. After the village welcomed him, Mohammad Mesleh led the Friday prayer and called for unity between West Bank and Gaza. He reiterated that the walls surrounding West Bank and Gaza only have one goal, which is to separate and isolate the Palestinian people.
After his speech, around 150 local and international activists joined him in marching towards the Wall. When the demonstration reached the Wall site, they were met with large amounts of tear gas and rounds of rubber coated steel bullets. Around ten soldiers entered through one of the gates and started chasing after protesters in an attempt to arrest them. All participants managed to escape and nobody was arrested.
The demonstration lasted around three hours and no injuries were reported.
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Report and photos Ahmad Mesleh – Niâlin Youth Center