Haven’t seen anything like this since Selma, 1964.
The International Solidarity Movement provided this report on this demonstration by Palestinian, Israeli, and international women in the West Bank. Except that women were involved this time around, these demonstrations have been going on week after week, and Americans are largely ignorant of them, thanks to censorship by our mainstream media.
On the 23rd of July a women’s demonstration against the construction of the apartheid wall took place in Ni’lin. Girls from the local summer camp had painted placards and made two big banners saying “Women against the Apartheid wall” for the demonstration.
Palestinian women came all the way from Tulkarem and Ramallah to join the demonstration. In total around 100 Palestinian, international and Israeli women participated in the march aiming at the bulldozers working on the construction site of the apartheid wall.
When having the bulldozer in site the women were violently stopped by Israeli soldiers who used teargas, sound bombs, and physical violence. The women did not surrender but continued the chanting and tried to reach the bulldozers. The demonstrators succeeded to approach the bulldozers until being only 20 meters away. The soldiers then responded with a lot of violence, abusing more than 20 participators. Two persons were arrested, Jamal Kanaan from Ni’lin and one Canadian activist.
All in all the demonstration was very successful, being the first big women’s demonstration in Ni’lin for a long time.
When will Americans stand up for their principles and condemn actions such as these, which have been supported for years by taxpayer money and military equipment? It is hard to understand America’s duplicity in our foreign relations and attitudes toward Israel.
