The only tear gas we breathed this friday came from this used canisters' display in the village center...After almost three years of friday demonstrations, this time we came to Bil'in to celebrate.
Wagee is holding an Israeli right-wing newspaper, whose headline is "Victory to the Rioters". The "rioters" are the nonviolent demonstrators in Biliin, the victory is the recent Israeli supreme court ruling, forcing the army to change the route of the separation fence near Bil'in, and to return to the village some of its lands.
About 500 demonstrators, Palestinian and Israeli, marched to the fence where we were, as usual, stopped by the army.... The demonstration has started with a short prayer...
and then speeches:here are excerpts from a moving speech by Bassel Mansour of the popular commitee (hebrew, english).
... and this is Muhammad of the popular committee:
...and this is Salam Fayyed the new PA prime minister:
Thanks to his presence, and perhaps to the fabulous truck-top DJ, the army has let us celebrate, and did not disperse the demonstration by force... so the Red Crescent guys could also relax...
...and the dancing began...
This is Mustafa Barghouti, on Wagee's shoulders...
...and this is Muhammad again...
Abdalla of the popular committee gives an interview
Wagee's son:
and here are our lawyers... Smadar with Wagee
... and Gabi with Yonatan... (Michael Sfard did not come)
The army stayed behind the fence, "SHOOTING" only film...
Taunting the soldiers (gently, gently...)
Note the soldier taking pictures of the party on his private cellphone, to bring home...
The dancing went on and on...
and when the organizers have declared the end of the demonstration, we have all marched back... this time, not running from tear gas, from sound grenades, from rubber coated bullets... just like that, walking away!
Wagee has invited us to his house - and offered us fresh figs from their trees... the view from their front porch includes the new settlement across the fence...
The struggle is not over. The fence is still here, and in many other villages, and next friday, the demonstrations will continue....
But today, we go back to the village square, where the village men are still dancing...
... and like always, the weary demonstrators waiting for their service taxis have to have some falafel...
...The palestinian taxis dropped us near one of the porous seams between "israel" and "palestine" (these are to be found everywhere, but less and less on the ground, more and more in our bodies and souls)...
...and here we are climbing to the Israeli-only highway, crossing back through the looking glass...
looking back behind my shoulder:
pictures: Dalit Baum and Yael Lerer
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