It takes a village
Stefan Christoff
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Protesters hit by Israeli tear gas in Bil'in
photo: ActiveStills
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In April, Palestinian activist Bassam Ibrahim Abou Rahme was killed by Israeli military forces after being shot at close range by a teargas canister, becoming the 18th Palestinian to have been killed for protesting against the Israeli wall being built in Bil'in, a farming village. "Bassam was a leader from the Bil'in movement against Israeli apartheid. Everyone in the village loved Bassam, who regularly worked with Israeli activists," remembers Abdullah Abu Rahme, a Bil'in resident and activist.
Local residents have held weekly demonstrations every Friday in attempts to alert the world to their cause.
Rahme says Bil'in has been severely impacted by the construction of the security wall, which will annex around 50 per cent of village lands, mainly farm lands. In some areas, the wall towers over eight metres high and is fortified by armed military watchtowers. The village is also battling Israeli attempts to build illegal settlements on the land, a project with ties to Montreal.
Bil'in has launched a lawsuit in the Quebec Superior Court against two companies registered locally, Green Park International and Green Mount International, who are currently helping to build an Israeli-only settlement on land within Bil'in's municipal jurisdiction.
"Israel is colonizing our land and stealing it for future generations. They are trying to erase Palestine," explains Rahme.
In
June 2009, Bil'in village is scheduled to have a series of court dates that will determine if the lawsuit filed with Quebec Superior Court will be heard.A solidarity protest with Bil'in village is scheduled for Friday, May 8, at noon outside Indigo bookstore (corner of Ste-Catherine and McGill College). For more information, visit www.bilin-village.org.
| ¿quis lëgët håec?: CCCXIX |
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How cute. Another article on a horrible neverending situation on the other side of the world and how it affects people on this side of the world. Here's a thought--instead of trying to be worldly and political maybe we can focus on news of greater local interest. For instance, just last week the court decision FINALLY came down on the man that attacked Marcia Langlieb at the Snowdon metro in September 2005. The 'accused' got off with a slap on the wrists after nearly 4 years of delays. You might remember the story of how a woman was attacked, left in a coma and partially disfigured as a result of what happened to her. Google her name and you'll find all the info to refresh your memory. A local woman of some 50 plus years gets her life turned inside out by some punk in an altered state and 4 years later he gets off the judge was satisfied that he'd gone through enough rehab and anger management in the intervening years. If people can get outraged over the endless drama in Israel how come we can't get them to raise a hellstorm over matters like these?
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Pedro Eggers
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