Israeli forces Friday suppressed a weekly march in the village of Bilin in the occupied West Bank district of Ramallah, as dozens of protesters suffered from tear gas inhalation.Palestinians, international, and Israeli peace activists all took part in the march which set off from the center of Bilin following Friday prayers.
Spokesperson for the popular committee against the wall in Bilin, Abdullah Abu Rahmeh told Ma’an the march was partly held in condemnation over the promotion of an Israeli officer and soldier who shot prominent Palestinian activist Ashraf Abu Rahmeh with a rubber bullet while blindfolded and handcuffed in 2008.
Abu Rahmeh said that “Israeli terrorism is being committed against Palestinians on a daily base. Killings, detentions, destroying homes, confiscating lands, closing roads, blockading villages, are all an Israeli policy of collective punishment committed every day against Palestinians.”
Clashes erupted between protesters and Israeli forces, with dozens suffering from tear gas inhalation.An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an she would look into reports on the clashes.Bilin is one of the most active Palestinian villages in peaceful organized opposition against Israeli policies, as residents have protested every Friday for more than a decade, and have often been met with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and stun grenades from Israeli forces.
