At around 3 a.m. on Monday, August 3, a large military force wearing combat paint and masks invaded the West Bank village of Bil’in. Israeli soldiers raided several homes, arresting two Palestinian children and five Palestinian adults, including Mohammad Khatib of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. The home of another member of the Popular Committee was raided, but soldiers could not arrest him because he was not present at home.

Monday’s raid is another in a series of many that Israeli forces have carried out in Bil’in. Since June 29, 2009, Israeli forces have arrested 25 people, most under the age of 18. Israeli forces have been using interrogation techniques to pressure the arrested youth to give statements against Bil’in community leaders.

Abdullah Abu Rahme, coordinator of the popular committee stated, “Mohmmad Khatib and Adib Abu Rahme along with other leaders of the Palestinian popular struggle are being targeted because they mobilize Palestinians to resist non-violently. The fact is that the Apartheid Wall and the settlements built on Palestinian land are illegal under international law; in the case of our village even the biased Israeli court declared the route illegal. Yet Israel is prosecuting us as criminals because we struggle nonviolently for our freedom.” Read more

Bilin, a village in Palestine | A night in Bilin, Electronic Intifada | Bil'in Under Attack, Alternative information center

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