Israeli border police terrorize disabled Palestinians and residents of Bil'in

I had been asleep for an hour last night when at 12:45 am I woke up to the sound of border police coming into the village of Bil'in. I and another member of ISM followed the police as they entered approximately 12 homes, including several of the Popular Committee to Resist the Apartheid Wall in Bil'in, the organization that has been planning the recent demonstrations. They searched each home, asked for each person’s identification, and wrote down their names, phone numbers, and other information. The police had brought 2 hummers and 3 jeeps, all full of officers. Although there was no physical harassment, many of the Bilin residents were terrified when the police banged on their doors in the middle of the night. Some of the older residents were so frightened that they were having trouble breathing, and one woman had to take medicine to help her through this horrific situation. These border police were rude to many people, including we members of ISM, telling us not to question them about what they were doing, that it was none of our business. They finally left the village at 2:20 am. To see these Palestinians’ privacy completely invaded and to see the intimidation executed by the border police was maddening.

The following morning I went to the demonstration that the Popular Committee had planned in memory of the Palestinians who have died and been injured because of the occupation. The action began at 11 am when we marched toward the land where the annexation barrier is being constructed. We were about 60 in number, including Palestinians from Bil'in and Ramallah, Israelis form Anarchists Against the Wall, and internationals from ISM. Approximately 15 of the Palestinians with us had been injured because of the occupation, and for this reason some of them were marching in wheelchairs, some on crutches, and some with the aid of a seeing person. We carried signs with the names of the martyrs, and also ones saying “Who will be next?” We also chanted as we approached the wall. As we got closer to the border police and the wall, the police reacted to our nonviolent march with tear gas. Tear gas being shot at handicapped people is an awful sight, because unlike able-bodied people, they can not run away from the gas. For this reason a couple of the disabled had to be treated for inhaling tear gas.

After the first wave of tear gas, seven people were detained, including one disabled Palestinian, two members of the Popular Committee, one other Palestinian, and three Israelis. Following the arrests, the disabled were brought inside buildings so that they would be safe from the tear gas and other weapons. Once they were safe, some Palestinians began throwing stones at the border police, and the police responded with more tear and rubber bullets. They also drove into the village, driving around for about 30 minutes to continue their intimidation. The action concluded around 2:30 pm.

Posted by Allison