Friday protests continue at Bil'in, Ni'lin, Ma'assara, Walaja homes raided

Published yesterday (updated) 17/04/2010 12:16

Bethlehem - Ma'an -

Following an anti-wall protest in Al-Walaja on Friday, Israeli occupation government border police entered the village and surrounded the home of a detained Palestinian, trapping at least 40 people in the home for two hours.

The home of 40 year old Hatem Al-'Araj was host to women and children when it was besieged. Witnesses said troops withdrew after two hours without incident, and said it was unclear what they wanted with those in the building.

Village council representatives said the Al-Araj home was a gathering place for locals and internationals who had earlier participated in an anti-wall rally, where they had protested the latest site of wall construction, which cuts off large swaths of land from the Al-Walaja and Beit Jala areas, west of Bethlehem. Lands from the Cremisan Monastery will also be confiscated.

One representative explained that solidarity groups traveled to the homes of prisoners being held by Israel, to offer their support in honor of Prisoners Day, which was marked on Thursday.

During the siege of the Al-Araj home, witnesses said Israeli forces raided several others, detaining three young men for allegedly throwing rocks at Israeli forces.

Those detained were identified as:

Mu’atassem Hajajlah, 20
Rami Al-Daras, 17
Muhammed Hajajlah,17

During the raids the entrance to Al-Walaja was blocked off, and soldiers prevented meida personnel from accessing the area.

An Israeli spokesman for the border police was unavailable for comment by phone.

Dozens Suffered Form Gas Inhalation During Anti-wall Protest In Ni'lin

Friday April 16, 2010 16:55 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC & Agencies

Dozens of residents from Ni'lin village near Ramallah in the northern West Bank took to the streets to protest the construction of the wall on their land.

This weekly nonviolent protest started by holding the Friday noon prayer on the lands close to the wall. As protesters marched towards the wall, Israeli troops showered them with tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets.

Some youth responded by throwing rocks at the soldiers. A number of protestors chocked as they inhaled the tear gas and were treated by field medics. The protesters demanded the release of all prisoners from Israeli jails.

The residents of Ni'lin have been defying an Israel ban to demonstrate for the fourth week in a row. A month ago, Israeli authorities declared the village a closed military zone to prevent international and Israeli supporters to come to the village.

Dozens inhale tear gas in Bil'in, Ni'lin and Al-Ma'asara

Ramallah – Ma’an –

 Dozens were hurt after inhaling gas in the village of Ni’llin west of Ramallah on Friday.

Residents of Bil'in and Ni'lin violated the Israeli military orders of declaring the lands abutting the separation wall a closed military zone on Fridays between 8:00 am-8:00 pm from March until August.

The protesters in both locations carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in solidarity with the Palestinians in Israeli prisons, marking Palestinian Prisoners Day.

In Bil'in, members of the Fatah party participated in the rally, where dozens inhaled tear gas, including Fatah Central Committee member Sultan Abu Al-Enein.

Fatah officials had gathered in the village before the march to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the death of the Fatah leader Kahlil Al-Wazir.

Protests also went ahead in Al-Ma'asara, with no injuries reported.

Palestinians across the West Bank continue to protest the construction of Israel's separation wall, and the continued building of Israeli settlements, both of which see the confiscation of Palestinian lands within the 1967 borders; an area the international community sees as the borders that will one day be a Palestinian state.