Nothing less than our freedom

But our experience has been that Israel, the stronger party, exploits peace talks as a smokescreen to obscure facts that it is establishing on the ground. During the Oslo "peace" process Israel built settlements in the occupied territories at an unprecedented rate. Israel's system of settler-only roads, which is now strangling our cities and villages, was created during the Oslo process. This makes us wary of the Annapolis negotiations.

Israel built settlements throughout the West Bank even though international law prohibits an occupying power from settling its population in occupied territory. Now Israel intends to annex most West Bank settlement blocs either through negotiated agreement with the Palestinians, or unilaterally.

Bil'in, like tens of West Bank villages, is losing vital land and resources to Israel's settlement blocs. In 1991, Israel confiscated 200 acres of our village's land and declared them state land. In 2001 private Israeli developers began building a new Jewish settlement there, as part of the Modi'in Illit settlement bloc.

In 2005 Israel's apartheid wall separated Bil'in from 50 percent of our agricultural land. In response, we held over 100 nonviolent protests together with Israeli and international supporters. Hundreds of us were injured and arrested. After our protests and a legal appeal, Israel's high court ruled last month that the wall's route in Bil'in must be changed to return about half of our land that was taken.

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