Should Canadians help save Bil'in?

[earth_as_one]

Should Canadians help save this town?

Help us stop Israel's wall peacefully

By Mohammed KhatibPublished: TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2005

BILIN, West Bank: While the international media has been focusing on Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, in my village of Bilin, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, we are living an equally important but overlooked story. Though Israeli forces plan to withdraw from Gaza, they are simultaneously expanding their West Bank settlements. On our village's land, Israel is building one new settlement and expanding five others. These settlements will form a city called Modiin Illit, with tens of thousands of settlers, many times the number to be evacuated from Gaza. These settlements consume most of our area's water. Throughout the West Bank, settlement and wall construction, arrests, killing and occupation continue.

One year ago, the International Court of Justice handed down an advisory ruling that Israel's construction of a wall on Palestinian land violated international law. Today, Palestinians in villages like ours are struggling to implement the court's decision and stop construction using nonviolence, but the world has done little to support us.

Bilin is being strangled by Israel's wall. Though our village sits two and a half miles east of the Green Line, Israel is taking roughly 60 percent of our 1,000 acres of land in order to annex the six settlements and build the wall around them. This land is also money to us - we work it. Bilin's 1,600 residents depend on farming and harvesting our olives for our livelihood. The wall will turn Bilin into an open-air prison, like Gaza...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/11/opinion/edkhatib.php

More information about the town:

Bil’in is a Palestinian village that is struggling to exist. It is fighting to safeguard its land, its olive trees, its resources… its liberty.

While annexing close to 60% of Bil’in land for Israeli settlements and the construction of Israel’s separation wall, the state of Israel is strangling the village. Every day it destroys a bit more creating in an open air prison for Bil’in’s inhabitants.

Supported by Israeli and international activists, Bil’in residents peacefully demonstrate every friday in front of the “work-site of shame”. And every friday the Israeli army responds with violence, both physically and psychologically.

Bil’in residents have continued to withstand these injustices despite the multiplication of night descents of Israeli soldiers in the town followed by an increasing number of arrests of inhabitants and of activists. But now, the army has toughened the oppression by systematically arresting members of the Bil’in committee in charge of organizing the non violent resistance actions. The aim of the arrests is to discourage Bil’in residents and reduce their resistance to the occupation.

By supporting Bil’in, you’ll help its inhabitants continue their struggle and give them hope in their fight for liberty.

This site is dedicated to all people of good will - Palestinian, Israeli and the internationals who fight side by side against the injustices endured by the people of Bil’in.
It’s urgent to act!

Bil’in’s situation is deteriorating on a daily basis. People are oppressed - even before any demonstrations are carried out.
Bil’in is a symbol of what is happening across Palestine. We would like to remind you that:

• The occupation of Palestine and the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli armed forces are illegal as recognized by the UN, the International Court of Justice, as well international law on Human Rights
• Colonization by building illegal settlements on Palestinian land is equally condemned by of the UN and the 4th Geneva Convention.
• The construction of the annexation wall on Palestinian land is in contravention of the 2004 ICJ ruling.
• The presence of the Israeli army, the oppression of the Israeli army and the collective punishments meted out by the Israeli army is in violation of UN resolutions, international human rights law and the 4th Geneva Convention.
• Now, the Israeli army has decided that all forms of demonstration in Bil’in are forbidden – this is unjust and illegal.

The banning of international presence, of Israeli activists and the arrests of our Bi’lin committee are condemning Bil’in to a certain death.
Let’s act together by putting pressure on the Israeli government. As well, let’s lobby our own governments to pressure on Israel.

http://www.bilin-village.org/english/discover-bilin/

Canadians are already involved:

Closing Statement of the Third Bil'in Conference on Non-Violent Resistance
June 6, 2008

Source : Bil’in - FFJ

The Third Bil’in Conference on Grassroots Non-Violent Resistance, which was held in the village of Bil’in near Ramallah, was widely attended by officials and citizens alike, including Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the representative of President Abbas, members of the PLO Executive Committee, members of the Palestinian National Council, and representatives of various political parties and civil society groups.

There was also international participation, including delegations of peace activists from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, England, Canada, Ireland, Greece, Switzerland, the United States and the Netherlands, in addition to Israeli peace activists....

http://www.bilin-village.org/englis...rd-Bilin-Conference-on-Non-Violent-Resistance

Recent News:

European dignitaries injured in Bil'in
June 7, 2008

The vice president of the European parliament, an Italian judge and a Northern Irish Nobel Peace prize laureate were among the five people injured at Friday’s weekly demonstration in Bil’in against the separation fence...

http://www.bilin-village.org/english/

Maps of Palestine's transformation since 1946.

Palestine pretty much exists as a non-nation with non-citizens who have no rights and live in open air prisons like Bil'in.

Images of Palestine:

Up to date maps of the walls slicing up what little remains of Palestine into open air prisons:
http://www.stopthewall.org/news/maps.shtml

Should Canadians help save Bil'in?

 

[CDNBear]

Nope. In fact we should assist the Israelis in removing it from the map.

 

[lone wolf]

Nope. In fact we should assist the Israelis in removing it from the map.

Good plan. When do you leave?

Woof!

 

[earth_as_one]

Nope. In fact we should assist the Israelis in removing it from the map.

Why?

 

[L Gilbert]

Nope, we can't even save our own towns:

link

link

 

[Michael Baron]

These speculations and allowances are so ridiculously redundant: The UN said how it should be done, but please, what is the UN legislation doing now, except for some appeals on OUR common sense ? Even if there's an israeli fallback, the entire claims have to be reviewed. Their foremost artificial and subsequent random nature calls ALL nations to check and discuss about that incedible status quo.