Ma'an – Nine people were injured and four others arrested during the weekly demonstration against the separation wall in Bil'in, near Ramallah in the central West Bank on Friday. Local residents, foreign peace and some residents from neighbouring villages gathered for the demonstration. A high-ranking French delegation including politicians and mayors from French cities also attended the demonstration, including the head of the European left wing party Francis Meriros and head of the French-Palestinian twinning programme, Ferno Tweil. Palestinian Legislative Council members Jihad Tumalie and Muheeb Awwad accompanied the French delegation.
The visitors listened to a detailed illustration about Bil'in's three-year resistance to the separation wall. PLC member Muheeb Awwad delivered a speech about the impact of the wall on the West Bank and how it impedes the establishment of a Palestinian independent state.
As the rally came close to the separation wall, Israeli forces fired on the demonstrators with rubber-coated bullets and tear gas. Nine people were injured, including a Japanese journalist, and Palestinian photojournalist Muheeb Barghouthi who works for the Al-Hayat Al-Jadida newspaper and dozens of others suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. Four of the demonstrators were arrested, including one Israeli and one American peace activist. The Israeli soldiers allegedly beat the arrestees.