Friday in Bil’in
We’re hoping Israeli soldiers and border guards at this Friday’s weekly Bil’in demonstration let the villagers and their international and Israeli supporters march peacefully to the Separation Wall as intended. It’s possible the IDF will try to stop the march violently, as is increasingly the case, but there’s hope things will go more smoothly this time. For one thing, this first march after the end of Ramadan should be larger than usual. The expected contingent of dignitaries may help tip the inconsistent Israeli response toward patience.
Or not.
Last night one of the organizers from Anarchists Against the Wall came to Beit Immanuel to talk to our group about his group’s experience working for the past year and half or more with the Palestinian villagers who lead the weekly nonviolent protests. It’s always been clear to people who have kept up with places like Bil’in that Palestinian resistance has always included nonviolent methods that Israeli forces seem determined to thwart and that the media almost never cover. Those who urge Palestinians simply to try nonviolence might spend a Friday at Bil’in and see what happens.
Anarchists Against the Wall is an Israeli anti-Occupation group, apparently less consistently anarchist than anti-occupation. I hope to learn more about anarchist efforts here in Israel and, if they exist at all, within Palestine, but I know the one-state, two-state debate is unlikely to be resolved by a no-state solution any time soon. At any rate, it sounds like the anarchists here are as diverse as in the US, with good representation of both black-clad young people and older activists. The group seems very aware of the intricacies raised by outsiders — especially Israeli outsiders — working on the West Bank with Palestinian activists and other villagers, not all of whom are happy to have Israelis among them.
I visited Bil’in almost two years ago, just before construction of the wall began. Villagers were trying to use Israeli courts to stop construction. Today those lawsuits remain unresolved, and Bil’in villagers have no access to their stolen land. Law is slow, even if it works. And here, courts issue orders that the military ignores.
But we’ll see how things go on Friday. Last night’s AATW visitor gave us advice on how to minimize the risk, but I know these things are unpredictable. Fortunately, he said holding a camera and standing off to the side photographing was relatively safe, and that’s about what I had in mind anyway.
Tomorrow morning, though, it’s on to Nablus.
