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25 December, 2009-Christmas in Bilin Today in the West Bank village of Bilin after morning prayers, five activists dressed as Santa Claus marched with Palestinian, Israeli, and International demonstrators to the apartheid wall during the weekly demonstration. The activists were armed with bags of toys and boxes of candy. The local children swarmed the Santas as they passed out toys and noisemakers. A Christmas tree decorated with an assortment of spent tear gas canisters was rolled to the wall, and immediately upon arrival the Israeli army began firing tear gas and sound bombs at the crowd. The Santas responded by throwing candy back at the soldiers. Many people suffered tear gas inhalation. “Christmas is an important day for all of us to remember that the hard work for peace must continue in order to end the occupation. To all our friends in Rafah preparing for the Gaza Freedom March…Keep strong and don’t back down before you break the siege! We will continue to support your actions from the West Bank,” said Iyad Burnat head of the Bilin Popular Committee. Abbas Zaki, a Fatah party leader spoke during the demonstration. “Israel cannot hide its face. They massacred Gaza and now the people of the world will not let the truth be silenced. Palestine will be victorious.” He also visited the family of Bassem Abu Rahme who was killed during a demonstration in April of this year. Zaki said that Bassem has become a shining light of inspiration in his martyrdom. He continued by sending Christmas greetings and thanks to the Israeli and International solidarity activists With one hour of your time, you can help bring about a real peace in Palestine: This is a message to supporters of the Palestinian cause from across the world. Firstly, we would like to thank you for your work so far. As Tzipi Livni cancels a trip to the UK for fear of arrest upon her arrival, it seems that the people are finally waking up to the reality of the Israeli occupation. However, your governments remain shamefully silent. Here in Bil'in, our struggle goes on. We continue to suffer from the extreme violence of the Israeli occupation forces during our weekly non-violent demonstrations at the Apartheid Wall which has confiscated our land, as well as an escalation in military invasions into the village and mass arrests of local residents, by day and by night, in a clear attempt to crush our resistance. Despite the international support we have received, it has become clear that words are not enough. It is time for action. The occupation is global, and so must be the resistance. We are asking you to make one action per week, or per month. It can be a demonstration at your nearest Israeli embassy, or against governments which support the occupation. The importance of these actions is to provide a continuous reminder of the plight of the Palestinian cause. There is no use in organizing actions on a one-off basis, the resistance must be continuous. Our message is clear – this occupation must end. Thank you for you continued support, Iyad Burnat- Head of Popular Commitee in Bilin co-founder of Friends of Freedom and Justice - Bilin
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